


Our Supernatural Love - book 2

by ExoBtsGot7Svt



Series: OSL [2]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Aftermath of Violence, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, And it's not the couple you probably either expect or want it to be, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Attempted Murder, BE SAFE KIDS, Betrayal, Bleeding, Blood, But not until like... chapter 7, Character Death, Crying, Don't do any of this irl, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Heavy Angst, I don't go into too much detail with the torture but it's happening, I have a bad memory so I'm tagging as I remember stuff, I'm Sorry, I'm not telling you which couple tho, Kidnapping, M/M, Major Character Injury, Marriage, Minor Character Death, Murder, Nightmares, No Lube, Please Don't Hate Me, Poison, Rough Sex, Same-Sex Marriage, Smut, Some Swearing, Still dialogue heavy but would you look at that! There's some decent plot this time, Tbh I'm not sure if the angst in this can be considered heavy but I tagged it anyway, Temporary Character Death, These are more underlying things though, Torture, Unprotected Sex, Unsafe Sex, Vampires, Violence, Werewolves, just wait and see, knife torture, lots of bleeding, mention of grief
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-01-05 11:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21207458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExoBtsGot7Svt/pseuds/ExoBtsGot7Svt
Summary: This is gonna be rough. Get ready. I'm so sorry Jihoon. '***' indicates a flashback





	1. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is gonna be rough. Get ready. I'm so sorry Jihoon. '***' indicates a flashback

_"My baby, they took my baby...no! They took him! No, _no, **NO!**_"_

* * *

Soonyoung couldn't breathe. There was a snake in his chest, draped around his heart, constricting it. Every throb sent searing pain through his body. He had no memory of ever having shed tears so when his eyes began to sting, it came as another shock to him. A single tear fell and he watched it in what felt like slow motion as it dripped onto his arm then down to the floor.

And he broke.

His screams turned into incoherent sobs so violent his body racked with them. Tears spilled down his cheeks and he barely registered the gasp behind him and the rushing footsteps. The arms that wrapped around him and the voice that questioned him. He managed to choke out an answer, recognizing the presence as Jihoon's mother.

"T-took him...my baby, Jihoon...they - they took him," he whimpered as yet another wave of pain flooded through him.

"Jihoon?" He knew by the tone of her voice that there was no need for him to repeat himself, to confirm that her son was gone. Mrs. Lee's voice shook as she spoke again. "Who's they? Did you see them?"

"No...wasn't here," Soonyoung shook his head, gasping for breath, on the verge of hyperventilating. "He's gone, my baby, he's gone..."

Mrs. Lee gasped once more when she noticed the broken window. "Oh my," she breathed. "They broke in through the window? Who would do this?"

A surge of rage accompanied his sorrow and Soonyoung gritted his teeth. _Your husband_, he wanted to say. He couldn't reply though, tight throat restraining his words. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Soonyoung stood to his feet. He had a good idea of the people behind this. But he had no clue who told them about him and Jihoon. And he had no clue how Mr. Lee was involved with them, either.

What did know, though, was that he was going to get Jihoon back. And kill the bastards who took him. That...that was a promise he could keep. Fury replaced his despair and he clenched his fists as it bubbled in his chest, ears ringing as it consumed every fiber of his being.

The only thing keeping him from completely losing it was the hand lingering on his arm. He wasn't the only one who lost Jihoon. This was a woman who had her firstborn - her only son - kidnapped. He took a moment to gather himself before turning to Mrs. Lee. He hugged her gently and felt his shirt dampen with her tears.

"I'll find him. I'll bring him back." Soonyoung whispered. He couldn't tell if he was trying to reassure her or himself when he repeated the words. "I'll bring him back."

***Jihoon's POV***

Jihoon groaned as he opened his eyes, reaching up to rub at the back of his throbbing head. Or, he tried to anyway. He tugged at his arms, tilting his head back to see that his hands were handcuffed behind his back and attached to a chain hanging higher up on the grimy wall.

The room was musty, smelling of dirty water, damp, and mold. There was a steady _drip, drip, drip, _in some far corner of the poorly lit room. A single, naked lightbulb dangled from the middle of the ceiling. The walls and floors were concrete, the color murky and gray.

"What the..."

The bang of a door hitting the wall startled him, the echoing sound causing his headache to worsen. He turned his head, watching as a tall, muscular man dressed in red approached where he sat on the floor. The man's eyes were red, the dim yellow light glinting off of his fangs that peeked past his thin lips. He had sharp features and caterpillar like eyebrows sat heavily above small, double lidded, slanted eyes. The man towered above Jihoon, a smirk on his clean shaven face.

Jihoon glared up at the man, showing no sign of intimidation. They watched each other for a few moments, silent, until the man spoke.

"Seriously? You're _not _scared? Not gonna ask where you are, why you're here, _"What did I do? Please let me go!" _?" The man sighed, feigning a high pitched feminine voice. Jihoon scoffed, offended.

"I don't sound like that," he huffed and the man snorted, raising a thick brow.

"Close enough."

Jihoon rolled his eyes, shifting so that he sat up straighter, a dull ache starting in his shoulders from the uncomfortably awkward position. "What do you want from me? I'm not exactly in the mood to play hostage."

"Wow, feisty one. Now my job isn't gonna be as fun," the man complained, then muttered to himself. "It's so much better when they're scared."

"What do you want, rocks for brains?" Jihoon spat, growing irritated.

"I would watch the way you talk to me, seeing as your life is quite literally in my hands, pretty boy." The man came closer, his words a menacing growl. "I will make you so miserable you'll be begging me to kill you."

There was a pause. Then, Jihoon laughed.

In the face of danger.

He laughed.

The reaction was so unexpected that the man could only watch, confused. Jihoon's laugh held no emotion, no mirth, and he knew that he probably looked crazy. Stopping abruptly, his eyes narrowed and he tilted his head, leaning forward as well. Gaze unwavering, he came so close their noses almost touched. Whispered.

"Try me."

The man smirked. "Gladly."

The air left Jihoon's lungs with the force of the blow to his stomach. The man's hand was as hard as stone, his smirk spreading into a smile as Jihoon struggled to suck in a breath. He coughed, face twisted in pain.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Stone fist snickered. "You scared now?"

Jihoon coughed once more, sucking in a shallow breath. "Not even a little," he croaked, releasing a breathless cry as the fist connected with his stomach a second time.

***Soonyoung POV - next day***

"He might be fine, don't worry."

"They broke into his house and **kidnapped **him! He is **FAR **from fine!" Soonyoung snapped, pacing back and forth across the safehouse living room.

He, his sister, and the rest of his friends had decided that it was the best place to meet up in private as to avoid another person possibly being kidnapped. Jun and Minghao had welcomed them to their home with shaky hands and guilty expressions. Even before Soonyoung had the chance to say anything, they'd apologized profusely, blaming themselves for everything.

"They're using him to get us," Jun said, looking to Minghao who held his hand tightly. He nodded grimly.

"Just...just let us give ourselves to them. You'll get Jihoon back when we do."

Jun's eyes shone with tears yet burned with determination. "It's the only way,"

Soonyoung halted in his pacing, sending them a look so sharp and furious that Jun took a small backwards step. "It is _not _the only way," he hissed, head shaking slowly. "I am not going to let you get killed just because Grave Lust can't get over a wolf and vampire being together!"

Soonyoung's voice rose in volume as he continued. His entire being was drawn tight, fists balled and neck veins bulging. "It is none of their business who anyones love interest is and they have no right to kill anyone dating outside their own kind! The bastards are fine with vampire-human and wolf-human relationships but the _second _a _wolf_ imprints on a _vampire, THEY HAVE A PROBLEM!" _

"Young-ah, calm down," Soonji murmured, coming forward and touching his arm. Soonyoung didn't realize he'd started crying util she brushed her thumb across his cheek. "Your fangs are out," she whispered and Soonyoung retracted them with a shuddering huff, his anger dissipating into remorse.

"I just need him to be ok..." he whispered pitifully, falling back onto the couch. It went silent for a moment or two, everyone buried in their own sorrow. In any other situation, the silence could be found peaceful, relaxing even. But it only served to be suffocating, steeped with dread, fear and anger.

Seungkwan spoke, soft but firm. "If we're going to get Jihoon back...we need to find out who their spy is. Moping and crying won't help us find him." He himself had red eyes, strained from holding back tears as he rubbed his hands together slowly, staring blankly at a random spot on the floor. "We can't give them the satisfaction of seeing us hurt." He lifted his eyes to pin them on Soonyoung. "_You _can't give them that satisfaction. Don't let their spy, or whatever may be watching us, see how devastated you are. You let that happen, they win. Don't let them win."

Soonyoung nodded, jaw clenched as he wiped his eyes. His mind raced, attempting to conjure up any clues that would aid them in finding Jihoon. He played through his mother's vision again and again, trying to find faces and, potentially, names. Unfortunately, everything after Mr. Lee was a panic-stricken blur and his head ached with how hard he tried to clear the picture. There had been someone else, someone who wore not a mask but a face of guilt. But he still couldn't _**see.**_

He eventually gave up, grounding his teeth in frustration, and huffing out a breath.

*******

_"What's wrong?"_

_Jihoon followed Soonyoung worriedly with his eyes. He'd never seen the older male so angry and didn't know how to feel about the sight. It made his stomach turn with nerves and he chewed on his lower lip. This had been going on for over five minutes, the gentle air of their clearing disrupted by Soonyoung's pacing._

_"Soonyoung-ah...? What's wrong? Why are you angry?" Jihoon asked again, pouting when Soonyoung only ignored him, continuing his angry pacing. As much as he'd never like to admit it, Jihoon didn't care much for being ignored by his boyfriend. He most definitely was not used to it. "Soonyoungie?" he tried after a few more minutes passed._

_This caught the half-blood's attention, hearing the pout in Jihoon's voice. He turned and, in seconds, Jihoon was being scooped into a hug._

_"What has you so angry?" He questioned. Soonyoung pressed a kiss to his forehead, answering hesitantly._

_"Don't worry about it. I don't want you getting involved in this...mess."_

_"What mess? What is it you won't tell me?" Jihoon nearly whined, tilting his head to pout up at Soonyoung. Soonyoung responded with a pained expression._

_"I...I can't tell you, baby. I want to...but..." He sighed. "If I tell you, it might put you at risk..."_

_"Of what, Youngie? What is it that you're so scared of me getting involved in that you can't tell me?"_

_"Can..can we not talk about it? It hurts just to think that-"_

_Jihoon's heart throbbed with pain, reflecting Soonyoung's. He searched his face, unable to read him as easily as he normally could - this was one of the few occasions where Soonyoung was a not-so-open book. So Jihoon did the only thing he could think of to calm him. He_ _ cupped the tallers cheek, pulling him down into a kiss. His other hand curled into a fist on Soonyoung's chest, gripping his shirt. Soonyoung held him close, hands on his waist. Jihoon only broke away when he felt their racing hearts slow, eyes still closed as he pressed their foreheads together._

_"I don't know what it is that's making you so worried but I know it's hurting you. Whatever it is, though, don't let it affect you so much. I'm fine, I'm right here. Let's only focus on now."_

*******

"I think - I think I might know someone who could be involved." Seokmin said slowly, brows furrowed. Everyone looked at him and he ducked his head, guilt and shame settled heavy over his heart.

"Who?" Jeonghan voiced the shared question.

"I think -I'm not entirely sure, but - maybe, Chanyeol sunbaenim."

"What?" Seungkwan demanded, incredulous. "Why would sunbae help a group of vampires kidnap Jihoon? That's not like him. It doesn't make any sense."

"Seungkwan is right," Joshua added. "Why would sunbae do such a thing?"

"Do you guys remember when we went to his cafe before Christmas break, um," he paused, trying to remember. "Sophomore year? After Mingyu ditched us for Wonwoo?"

There were scattered agreements as the boys tried to recall that day after so long.

"When I went to get a refill, he was in a back room talking on the phone. I snuck around the counter to hear because he sounded so hushed and urgent and..." He lifted his eyes from the ground, looking first at Soonyoung then Jeonghan. "I think he was describing you two to whoever he was on the phone with. Or he was asking if it was you, I don't really remember, but he sounded unsure and kept saying "_but are you sure it's them?". _When he came back to the counter, he looked stressed and had glanced at the table you guys were at."

When he finished, a silence stretched over the room as the group took in this new information. There was a mix of emotions flitting over every persons face, not knowing how to properly react. Seungcheol, who up until that point, had sat silently in a recliner with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, spoke.

"Why..." His words were soft but the underlying irritation was hard to miss. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I don't know!" Seokmin cried, gesturing wildly. "I didn't know what to think or - or - if I even heard right - or - or - I don't know! I should've said something but I didn't want to worry you guys or make everyone paranoid for potentially no reason! Obviously, that was the wrong decision." He covered his face with his hands, head bowed in defeat. Jisoo placed a hand on his knee, squeezing slightly.

"We need to go to his cafe," Mingyu declared, standing. "See if we can get any answers."

"Wait, we can't just go barging in there," Chan protested.

"Why not? This man that we TRUSTED and talked to and knew for YEARS just helped one of our friends get kidnapped."

"We don't know that for sure-" Seokmin reminded. "He-"

"He's right," Soonyoung interjected suddenly, looking as if a lightbulb had just gone off over his head. "The night Jihoon was taken, minutes prior, my mother had a vision of it."

"What?"

Soonyoung sighed, not wanting to explain. "One of my mom's powers is visions. If something bad is about to happen to someone and she looks at said person - or in my case, someone close to that person - she has a vision of it. Normally, only she can see them, but if you touch her, you'll see it as well. That's how I saw her vision that night but that's beside the point." He pulled at his lip with his teeth, looking around the room. 

"Jihoon told me Chanyeol is a family friend. Which parent is he closest to?"

"Mr. Lee." Jisoo answered.

"I don't get it," Chan said. "How does that prove-"

"Mr. Lee was in the vision. And so was Chanyeol."

***Jihoon POV***

"Still think you're all tough? Huh?"

Jihoon grunted as the fist connected with his abdomen for the seventh time. He was positive something would break if he got punched again. His entire upper half ached, burning with pain.

Stonefist had been beating him for nearly twenty minutes, sneering and laughing with every pained cry that fell from Jihoon. He found joy in the human's suffering, amusement in every whimper. He was obviously experienced in this. Knew where and how to aim his blows so that they hurt but wouldn't break a bone. He was methodical and calculated, taking his time to savor every hit. 

Jihoon tensed, closing his eyes when the fist raised.

"He's had enough," came an unfamiliar voice. "We want him conscious while we interrogate him, Hyeongseok." 

"Oh please, he's fine." Stonefist - _Hyeongseok _\- scoffed. "I'm barely getting started."

"Back off," another, clearly annoyed, voice said.

Jihoon opened his eyes to see two equally as muscular men towering above him. Despite being in pain, he pulled himself to a sitting position, staring them down with the same unintimidated indifference as before.

"What do you want?"

"Oh?" The shorter of the two newcomers raised his eyebrows while the second man chuckled.

"Sassy. I like it."

"I'm taken, perv," Jihoon stated, disgusted as he looked the man up and down. They were dressed similarly to Hyeongseok, in all red. "And I have standards."

Before he could stop himself, the shorter man snorted, covering it up with a series of coughs. Hyeongseok stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. Jihoon watched, unflinching, but the man barked again.

"I said STOP." He fixated his glare on Jihoon. "You're in a relationship with Kwon Soonyoung."

"Thank you for stating the obvious."

The man sighed, already seeming to be exasperated before he continued. "That means you met his family. Specifically, Junhui and Minghao."

"I have no idea who that is."

"Don't play dumb. I don't have time to play games with sassy midgets." The man growled. The shorter man started slapping his arm repeatedly like a child excitedly seeking its parents attention before being swatted away. "What??"

"He's been prepared. They told him exactly what to do if this ever happened. He knew about us. He probably knows our names!"

Jihoon genuinely startled when the man was suddenly in his face, fisting his collar and screaming his next words. "They told you, didn't they?! What do you know?!! HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW!!!"

"Yunjeong, stop! This is not the time for one of your psychotic meltdowns!"

"No! He knows!" Yunjeong suddenly quieted, eyes crazy. "Do you know what I did? Did they tell you? Huh?" His words were fast, frantic. "They told you didn't they? I didn't mean to. I didn't see him there. I didn't mean to kill him."

Jihoon barely had a second to wonder who "him" could be when the man released him, scrambling back.

"I'M SORRY MR. BUNNY!" He began sobbing hysterically, the ugly sound echoing off the concrete walls as he rocked in a ball.

_He's lost his mind, _Jihoon realized. _This man - Yunjeong- is crazy. _

Yunjeong was dragged out of the room by Hyeongseok, the last man rolling his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He breathe out a sigh, mumbling beneath his breath before turning back to Jihoon.

"Listen kid, I just want you to answer my question. Do you or do you not know Junhui and Minghao?"

"No comment."

***Soonyoung POV***

"Are you kidding me?!" Mingyu nearly screamed.

The source of his fury lay in the _**'Sorry, we're closed**_' sign that hung on the locked door of the dark cafe.

"What are the chances that the one time we need to talk to him, he isn't here?" Seokmin muttered.

"Well, all my suspicions have been confirmed." Seungkwan said a moment later.

Mingyu banged on the glass. "Open the door!"

Bystanders whirled around at the commotion. Three teenage girls standing nearby began whispering conspiratorially, looking at them over their shoulders; a woman who'd been walking her dog sped up, her heels clacking noisily on the pavement as she glanced toward the group with knitted brows.

Seungcheol yanked Mingyu back by the shoulders. "Stop it!" He hissed through clenched teeth. "Have you lost your mind? You're drawing attention to us and that's the LAST thing we need!"

"Making a fuss will get us nowhere," Jisoo said. "We need to - to come up with a plan or something. We need to gather as much information as possible and figure out who else could be their spy. Sunbae-"

"That bastard doesn't deserve the respect that name holds." Mingyu spat, voice hard with undeniable hatred.

"-couldn't have been the only one helping them. He only ever saw us when we came to the cafe."

"We need to go home.There's too many people around." Soonji stepped in. "And we don't know who we can trust."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, beautiful people! I am in DIRE NEED of a friend who is well aquatinted with this app who know the ins and out and can HELP ME BECAUSE I'M FRUSTRATED AND CONFUSED AND A LOST CHILD. So if someone could kindly help me to learn how to do stuff that I probably shouldn't need to ask for help to be able to do, that'd be lovely.
> 
> Bye babes!!


	2. 2

"It had to have been someone from school. Someone who has been around us as a group for a while."

"Someone close to us?"

"No, why would someone close to us want us to suffer?"

"Why would Chanyeol help Jihoon get taken when he's known us for years?" Mingyu retorted bitterly from his perch on the back of the couch. He'd been there ever since they returned, angrily ripping up paper. Wonwoo, who was getting covered by the shreds of paper as Mingyu threw them, shifted in his seat, grabbing his wrists.

"Being angry doesn't solve anything Mingyu-yah. It doesn't give us answers."

Seokmin agreed, adding, "And neither does holding a grudge on sunbae."

Soonyoung clicked his tongue, not looking away from the window he was resolutely glaring out of. His arms were crossed, stance rigid as he leaned against the wall. "Yeah, well neither does sitting in a treehouse, drinking juice boxes, and talking about spies. We're not thirteen year old 'detectives' solving a who-dun-it - my boyfriend's life is in danger and we're not even doing anything about it." The fury in his voice was evident though he kept it level and soft.

Chan, who'd been lounging in one of the large plush chairs, slowly hid his caprisun between a pillow and the cushion and cleared his throat awkwardly, head bowing.

"How are we to go out and find him if we don't even know where to start looking?" Jisoo countered, irritated. "We have no choice BUT to sit here and "play detective" cause we need to find out who told them about us." His leg bounced rapidly, brows set in a permanent pinch. "Believe it or not, Mingyu, Chanyeol wasn't the only one involved in this entire thing. There had to be someone else, someone from school, maybe, who also works for Grave Lust."

Vernon sat up from his previously slumped position on the couch between Wonwoo and Seungkwan. "Where do we start then? Administration?"

Chan scoffed. "Yes, because walking into the office and demanding answers on who helped a group of vampires kidnap our friend - who also happens to be a recent graduate of said school - _won't _make you look crazy."

"He's got a point," Jun said. "You can't just waltz in there and accuse another recent graduate, or student in general, of helping vampires. Not only will they think you're crazy and delusional, but at the _slightest _mention of kidnapping, they'll surely get the police involved."

"Well...why CAN'T we get the police involved?" Seungkwan asked with a frown.

"Again," Minghao sighed. "He was taken. By **_vampires._**"

Jeonghan ran his fingers through his hair as he continued his slow back and forth pace around the room. "It's not like we just TELL the police that. How exactly would we explain that there is such thing as vampires and werewolves? And that because of a vampire-wolf relationship they're holding a half-blood vampires human partner hostage?" He looked at the others, helplessness etched into his worry drawn face. "There's no way they, or ANYONE for that matter, could understand this situation."

*******

_"Does anyone outside your family or our friend group know that you're a vampire?"_

_Jihoon's fingers played with a button on Soonyoung's shirt as he stared up into trance inducing purple eyes. The older male pursed his lips slightly in thought and Jihoon found himself wanting to kiss them. So he did._

_Soonyoung smiled into it, running a hand over Jihoon's back, resting it on the small of his back. They separated after a minute, the younger humming contently as he received a peck on the forehead. A brief moment of comfortable silence passed before Soonyoung answered._

_"No one, as far as I know. It's not necessarily a topic that comes up in a conversation with someone you first meet." He mimicked a nasally comedic voice. "Oh and by the way, I'm a vampire. See you later!" Jihoon giggled, resting his head in the crook of Soonyoung's neck. "No random stranger would believe me if I just walked up and told them. They'd just think I'm not right in the head."_

_"If someone else outside of us _did _know?"_

_"Honestly speaking, I'd be scared. More for you than myself."_

_This made Jihoon lift his head to meet Soonyoung's eye. "Why?"_

_"Just like vampires exist, vampire hunters do as well. They're ruthless killers and most vampires they catch have violent deaths."_

_"Why does that make you scared for me, though?" Jihoon inquired with a cute tilt of his head, a bit nervous to hear the answer as he began fiddling with the button again. Soonyoung didn't answer right away. He sucked in a breath through his teeth, entire demeanor changing. This only served to worry Jihoon further. "What is it?"_

_There was a long pause and Jihoon searched his boyfriend's features, unable to read his expression or thoughts. Right as he went to question it, Soonyoung spoke in a hushed voice._

_"You remember when I told you that my father...vanished," he paused, purple eyes darkening slightly as they glowed in the fading light of the clearing. "When I was ten?"_

_"Yeah," Jihoon nodded. "What about him? You said it was like he was there one day, gone the next."_

_"I... I didn't tell you the entire story. I'm scared for you because vampire hunters don't only target vampires. They'll target their human lovers. If someone I didn't know knew I was a vampire, it means they know who you are as well."_

_Jihoon took a moment to process this and his fingers stilled as something clicked. He gasped. "Wait...did they...?"_

_"They broke into our house in the middle of the night -Mom was out that night so she was safe - and the only thing I remember is dad running into our shared room at the time and telling us to hide. He went to inspect the house while we hid in the closet." Soonyoung's jaw tightened and he was staring past Jihoon as if he was there again, ten years old and reliving that night, pain evident in his eyes. "There was a crash and a terrible yell and then it went dead silent. We were too scared to leave so we stayed in the closet until mom found us in the morning."_

_Jihoon felt the ache in his own heart and he hugged the older male. He didn't know what else to do, what to say. Another silence stretched between them and - somewhere in the clearing - a cricket chirped, receiving a far off high-pitched chirp in response. Jihoon hummed a song, their song, drawing invisible circles on Soonyoung's chest. _

_ Soonyoung took a deep breath, exhaled shakily, then continued._

_"That's one of the reasons - the main reason - we left our first home. It took our mom four months to finally tell us that our father was taken by vampire hunters and wouldn't be coming back. To make matters worse, it happened the day before their anniversary. Their 15th year of marriage."_

_Jihoon gasped, hand coming to cover his mouth. "That's so sad."_

_Soonyoung nodded but said nothing. He held Jihoon tightly, trailing kisses down his face to his neck where he hid his face and breathed in the youngers scent. His next words were soft._

_"I made a promise to myself. A promise that I wouldn't - won't - let the same thing happen to my future lifemate. So now...I'm making the promise to you." He lifted his head, and Jihoon's breath caught at the look of determined sincerity in his eyes as they locked. "I'm not going to let that happen."_

_Jihoon kissed his cheek. "You shouldn't promise things unless you know you can keep it." He murmured, looking down as he intertwined their fingers. Soonyoung went to protest only to be cut off by another kiss. A quick peck. "Just continue to love and protect and take care of me and I'll be fine."_

*******

***Jihoon POV - Six Days later***

"Wake up sleeping beauty," a deep voice sneered. Jihoon jerked away from the rough hand caressing his face, blinking.

He was barely able to open his left eye. His wrists were raw and aching,dried blood staining his clothes and pale skin where the cuffs dug into his wrists. There were bruises and cuts covering his body and he was unbelievably weak yet he showed no evidence of being in pain. His eyes were blurry, refusing to clear, making it difficult to see the man in front of him.

Jihoon's stomach grumbled loudly and the man chuckled. "You seem a little... hungry. You know, we'd feed you if you would only cooperate. Will you?"

They'd been starving/dehydrating him for three days now, in hopes that he would break and give them answers in exchange for food. Much to their surprise, it wasn't working.

Crouching in front of him, the man slapped Jihoon, roughly grabbing him by the chin afterwards and lifting his face. "Answer me when I speak to you." He growled. "Are you going to cooperate?"

"Over my dead body." Jihoon rasped, throat tight and dry. Breathing had become a painful task, lungs feeling constricted as his small chest heaved with every breath. Yet still he glared, stubborn and hard as a nail.

"So stupid. Stupid human." The man spat. Jihoon, sensing the oncoming punishment, braced himself for another beating.

Luckily, timing seemed to be the only thing still in Jihoon's favor.

The door opened. And through the dark entrance, a group of five people appeared. The man stood quickly, letting go of Jihoon. He bowed, moving off to the side. It took a bit of effort but Jihoon managed to lift his head enough to watch the newcomers through his good eye.

Four taller men surrounded one small man. Though he was at least a foot shorter than the rest, there was an obvious aura of power surrounding him. He dressed differently than the others, clothed in a black silk button down and dark pants rather than the red suits that seemed to be common attire.

They stopped in front of Jihoon and his eyes immediately focused on on person who stood in the back left of the small group. He didn't recognize the voice that spoke as his own until the burning of his throat intensified.

"Chanyeol."

Pain and regret swam openly in the older man's eyes. He'd never been good at hiding his emotions, proving as much even now as he avoided Jihoon's gaze, unable to bear the glare of betrayal and hatred. Jihoon felt a surge of burning anger and confusion.

Why would Chanyeol of all people be involved in his kidnapping? He might be close to his father but, unlike that bitter old man, Chanyeol was a good man. Nice, open-minded, caring - polar opposite of Mr. Lee. And yet, here he was. Jihoon couldn't deny that he was more than baffled.

"You bastard." He hissed, gathering the little strength he had. Using the chains to pull himself from his slumped position, he ignored the screaming pain in his arms.

"Jihoon-ah -"

"I thought I could trust you. I **did **trust you. What wrong have I done you to deserve this?" His whispered words were gravelly and rough, unable to talk any louder. "What wrong?"

"Hoon-ah..."

"Silence." Came a higher, soft voice. It took Jihoon a second to realize it'd come from the smaller man as Chanyeol clamped his lips shut, ducking his head. 

Jihoon turned his attention to who he assumed to be the leader. His voice had been higher than Jihoon might've expected but now that he really looked at him, everything about the man was... feminine. He looked to be Jihoon's height - maybe a bit taller - with a slight figure, tiny waist and hips. He didn't have a visible adam's apple; he had pretty, pouty lips, long lashes and winged black liner. Not exactly an image of masculinity.

But that clearly was a non factor taking into account the power he held. For his voice hadn't been loud or harsh and yet Chanyeol obeyed like a kicked puppy.

"I do not think you understand, _Jihoon, _the severity of your current situation. I could have you killed with a snap of my fingers." He said, the calmness of his tone an inappropriate fit for the threat.

Chanyeol made a strained sound of protest, head lifting, only to be silenced with a sharp look. The small man's eyes glowed red as he narrowed them at the barista. Chanyeol bowed his head again.

"Is there a problem Yeollie? You are not on his side, are you?" His tone was sickly sweet, words anything but. Chanyeol shook his head immediately.

"Of course not, Baekhyun. You know I never go against your word." He insisted, a slight waver in his voice. Baekhyun, seemingly appeased by this, gave him a smile that was gone as soon as it had appeared.

"Good. I would hate to have you killed as well. You are my lifemate, after all."

The statement startled Jihoon. Lifemate? Chanyeol was with a vampire? Was _he _a vampire? No, Jihoon decided, he couldn't be. Or...he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. But, if it were true, then how could Baekhyun threaten his lover like that? All Jihoon could think was that Soonyoung wouldn't even think to threaten him - but Soonyoung wasn't involved in this type of clan either.

"Do not suddenly go mute. You have shown your voice is more than capable of working, Jihoon,"

The thought of Soonyoung had distracted Jihoon to the point where he hadn't heard Baekhyun speaking to him. Being away from Soonyoung like this brought a different kind of ache to his heart. This was far worse and longer than the two days during Christmas break that seem like so long ago. But he also hadn't been in love then.

"We've had him here for six days, Baekhyun-ssi. No matter what I've done, he hasn't spilled a single thing." His abuser said.

"Have not you imbeciles tried getting into his head? Beating and starving him is obviously not working." Baekhyun demanded, looking to the man. "Seriously, Mingsoo. Do you not have a brain?"

"I have tried sir. Several of us have, but he's managed to block our attempts."

"Block you?" Baekhyun cocked his head, ice in his eyes as irritation finally seeped into his voice. "How weak are you? You are one of my strongest and most intelligent and yet you allow a human, a **mortal**, to **_block your powers?!_** How pitiful." 

"We're trying sir. Sorry." Mingsoo bowed his head repeatedly.

"Sorry does not get us answers. Leave my presence." Baekhyun returned to his calm disposition in the blink of an eye and Mingsoo hurried out without another word.

Baekhyun moved with an almost enchanting kind of elegance, smooth and graceful as he slinked forward and kneeled in front of Jihoon who watched him warily. His eyes glowed a deep red, face set in concentration, fangs peeking out. He grabbed Jihoon's chin when he turned away, forcing eye contact. A smirk lifted the corner of his lip and Jihoon found himself unable to look away.

He didn't notice how tense he'd been until his shoulders suddenly started to relax and he slumped against the wall again. Baekhyun's eyes began to swirl with blue and the sight was so pretty and distracting that Jihoon felt his head growing fuzzy the longer he stared into them. Baekhyun tilted his head a bit and something inside of Jihoon went off like an alarm, snapping him out of the trance.

_'NO.'_

The vampire jolted, eyes widening and losing their red glow. He retreated, letting go of Jihoon as if he'd been burned. His eyes darted around the room, everyone else watching him curiously as they landed back on Jihoon.

"What?"

"I said no," Jihoon croaked, barely audible.

"How did you-"

"I've bee taught."

"By who?!"

*******

_"Jihoon-ah~"_

_"Yes~?"_

_'I want - well,_ need_ \- to show you something.'_

_At the sudden switch from verbal to nonverbal, Jihoon planted his feet on the carpet, halting mid-spin. He'd been spinning around mindlessly in Soonyoung's desk chair for a good ten minutes and his entire world tilted on its axis as he stumbled out of the chair to clamber onto Soonyoung's bed and into his lap, disoriented as he did so._

_The couple had opted to staying indoors on this much too hot summer day. The sun shone brightly into the room through open curtains - per Jihoon's request cause he didn't care for being in complete darkness in the middle of the day. The sky was cloudless, no wind was blowing, it was nearing 100°F, and Jihoon had already made multiple jokes about Soonyoung melting if they'd gone to their clearing. To which he received eyerolls and the silent treatment for every bit of ten seconds._

_Soonyoung pecked the tip of Jihoon's nose, arms naturally winding around his waist._

_'Yes?' Jihoon implored when he stayed quiet, hands wandering up to play with Soonyoung's messy brown hair._

_'This is just...in case anything happens.'_

_'Like what?'_

_'Like a vampire or wolf or whatever trying to hear your thoughts the way I can.'_

_'That can happen?'_

_'Some of us have the ability to read anyone's mind.'_

_'Oh.'_

_'Yeah, so I need to teach you to lock your thoughts. It might take a while for you to be able to do it. It takes a lot of focus and -'_

_"Done."_

_"What?"_

_"Try it. Try to hear what I'm thinking." Jihoon mused with a slightly smug smile. Soonyoung did as told and - nothing. He looked into Jihoon's eyes - still nothing._

_"I - I'm trying. I can't." Soonyoung was stunned. "But...how? How'd you do that so quickly and so - so easily?"_

_Jihoon giggled. "Try now."_

_'You're an idiot.'_

_"Hey!" Soonyoung pouted._

_"I'm only kidding," Jihoon kissed his cheek. "It was only to see if I actually did it. Guess I did."_

_"Do it again." Soonyoung ordered, eyebrows furrowed. Jihoon closed his eyes for a moment before giving a tiny nod, eyes sparkling with mischief. Soonyoung attempted yet again to hear him, fruitlessly searching Jihoon's expression as if it would help him. After another minute he huffed in defeat. "Well then."_

_Jihoon laughed triumphantly and Soonyoung got an idea. He surged forward, capturing the younger in a kiss._

_'Wait, what-'_

_Soonyoung broke away, pumping his fist victoriously. "Ha! I did it!"_

_"That's cheating," Jihoon protested, swatting at his chest. Soonyoung only grinned and pulled Jihoon flush against his chest._

_They sat in a comfortable silence for a few beats until Soonyoung spoke again. "It's good that you can do that easily. I'm just praying you'll never have to do it against anyone else."_

*******


	3. 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short so I figured I'd go ahead and upload it

"It was that Soonyoung. Had to be." One of the men who'd come in with Baekhyun said.

"Shut up, shut UP. No! Even my strongest foes have failed at blocking me. I will not be bested by a thirteen year old!"

"Eighteen." Chanyeol corrected. It earned him a death glare and he shrunk, taking a step back. "I'm sorry."

"That is beside the point, Channie. Another word from you and you will be in chains alongside it." Baekhyun threatened.

"'It' has a name." Jihoon grunted from his spot on the ground. Baekhyun huffed.

"You humans are insufferable...Twats."

Jihoon snorted, ignoring the pain the action brought. "Really? That's the best you can do?"

By that point the vampire was fuming, eyes a dangerous red. He hissed, revealing fangs sharp as knives and Jihoon merely stared back, looking rather bored. Baekhyun closed his eyes, rubbing two fingers against the sides of his head as if warding away a headache. Chanyeol tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder only to withdraw it just as quickly when Baekhyun growled - low and soft, warning. He eyed his lifemate warily.

"Baekhyunnie?" He murmured.

Instead of responding, Baekhyun vanished from the room. Literally. The remaining men exchanged glances, slowly taking their leave. Chanyeol hung back, wringing his hands as his eyes flitted between Jihoon and the empty doorway. A few minutes of sustained, tense silence passed before he gathered the courage to speak.

"Jihoon, I -"

"I don't want to hear any of the planned bs that's going to spill from your filthy mouth. Why didn't you leave with the rest of your lovers groupies?" He gritted, every word dripping with venom. Chanyeol sighed, a hurt, defeated sound.

"Hoon-ah, please. Hear me out. I had no choice but to help them."

"You had a choice. You **chose **to help them because your partner is one of them."

"They-" Chanyeol stopped himself.

"They _what?_" Jihoon demanded with narrowed eyes. The older man answered in a hushed voice.

"I can't tell you..."

"Why not? And if you even try that "it's for your own good" crap, I will lose it."

Chanyeol looked torn, at war with himself, and Jihoon had never seen the man so distraught. He almost felt bad for him.

"I- I have a secret, Jihoon. So many secrets that are so hard to keep. If I tell you, not only will you absolutely despise me - though at this point you already do - but it will kill me. I want to tell you all I know, show you I'm still on your side." Chanyeol's voice was full of emotion, with a sorrowful expression to match. He sounded miserable. "But if I tell you, we'll both die."

"Baekhyun won't kill you. You're his life mate." Jihoon rolled his eyes, the left one throbbing sorely in response.

"You don't understand. Yes, I'm his lifemate; Yes, I'm in love with him - but he is a cold-blooded killer. He's stubborn and stuck in his ways and if he feels as if I'm interfering with what he's doing then he will not hesitate to kill me. He didn't threaten me for show. He meant it."

"I-"

"Chanyeol!" A distant call echoed down the corridor and Chanyeol flinched so violently it was as if he'd been physically slapped. He went paper white, fear evident in his eyes as he spoke quickly.

"I have to go, but Ji-"

"I don't. Want. To hear it. Go tend to your twisted master. You're nothing more than a slave to him." The teen spit. "And I don't want to hear my name on your lips anymore."

"Listen, please, it's about your father."

"I have no father."

"He's dead." Chanyeol informed. "He was killed as soon as you were brought here."

For a moment, Jihoon wanted to ask why. Why they killed him. Why Chanyeol felt the need to tell him. But he couldn't find it in himself to care. He also tried to find any hint of sadness at the news. He felt nothing, though. No sudden wave of grief, no anger, not even joy. Nothing.

"Good."

Jihoon coughed, his throat raw and aching from talking. He made one final statement, gaze holding the malice he couldn't put into his fading voice as he stared down the man he no longer saw as a friend, but as a traitor - an enemy.

"You're both pitiful excuses for humans. When Soonyoung saves me, if you're not dead by then, I will tell him to rip your fucking head off."


	4. 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight trigger warning maybe? - the word 'rape' is said. It's only once though

"Hoshi... Soonyoung!"

Soonyoung barely lifted his head from where it rested on his hand. His eyelids drooped, complexion paler than usual. He was exhausted - an interestingly strange experience considering he didn't require sleep - and his body had a constant tremble to it.

"What?"

"Hyung...are you ok?" Chan asked worriedly. Soonyoung didn't respond. His head lolled forward, a quiet sigh slipping past his lips. The group exchanged wary glances. With each passing day, the half-blood grew weaker, not full of his normal energy or acting himself.

It'd been ten days since Jihoon's kidnapping and the teens still had no leads. Soonji walked over to her brother, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Young-ah," she murmured.

"Hm?" His eyes fluttered but he remained still otherwise.

"You good? You look tired." She tried to joke. "You're never tired."

"I'm f-fine...just...fine," Soonyoung sighed, each word an effort.

"This is bad," Jeonghan observed. "Real bad. If we don't find Jihoon soon, he might die."

Seungkwan sat up, paling. "Die? What do you mean die??" He cried, voice pitching.

Soonji shushed him. "Don't shout, he'll be fine. For now, anyway." She sat perched atop the arm of the couch Soonyoung was on, rubbing soothing circles into his back. He coughed weakly as if to punctuate her words.

"What do you mean he might die?" Seungcheol repeated slowly, eyebrows drawn with concern. If one thing was sure to come from this, it's that the group was destined to have permanent worry lines by the end of it.

"When vampires find their partners, they immediately bond. Their emotions intertwine, they can communicate nonverbally and for half-bloods," she gestured vaguely to Soonyoung and herself, "their heartbeats sync. After being around their lifemate for a certain amount of time, vampires become dependent on their presence for survival. The level of dependency depends on the vampire." She explained softly, glancing at her little brother. Her chest ached dully for him.

Jeonghan added onto her words. "A few hours or a couple days of separation won't kill us. But a week or more..." He trailed off, not needing to finish the statement as his eyes shifted to Soonyoung.

A heavy silence followed, everyone stuck in their heads. Soonyoung was still searching every thought, every memory, every moment he had. There had to be _something._ If only he could remember. One particular memory struck him after what felt like hours of fighting the fogginess in his brain. His lips began to move soundlessly.

_Se...se._

"Se..." He cracked an eye open, whispering. "Se...se..." His eyes flew open and he shot up. "Se!"

"Bird? Why are you saying bird?" Seungkwan asked, startled by the outburst.

* * *

**(A/N : if you're not familiar with Korean, bird is 'sae'. At times, 'se' and 'sae' can sound similar hence why Seungkwan thinks he's saying bird.**

* * *

"No, not bird! Se as in the beginning of someone's name Se!" Soonyoung exclaimed.

"What?"

"I'm confused."

"It's official. He's lost it."

Soonyoung shot a fierce glare at Vernon who proceeded to look everywhere but at him. He stood and began pacing the room, suddenly energized. Everyone watched in silence, waiting for him to explain.

"Woozi was - is, maybe, I dunno - scared of someone we went to school with. But he wouldn't tell me who. He would go from being normal to scared or nervous at random times. Mostly when we were walking to class. His heart rate would pick up and he'd get really quiet. The halls were always filled though so I never knew who it was. I tried to read his thoughts, I believe the name started with 'Se', but he shut me out before I could hear anything else." Soonyoung rambled, talking rapidly. He chewed on his bottom lip.

"You do realize how many people with 'Se' in their name went to our school, right? Especially in our graduating class. It would take hou-"

"I have yearbooks," Seokmin remembered, lighting up. "We can use them to try and narrow down the names."

***A Few Hours Later***

"...Sehun, Sejun, Semin, Sejung, Seho, Sebong, Seungkwan, Seulgi, Seokmin, Seoksoo..." Chan listed for the tenth time. "Any of these names ring a bell?"

"No. Nothing. I can't remember anything." Soonyoung muttered, frustrated.

"Sehun is a literal baby, he doesn't scare anyone." Jeonghan said. Seungcheol nodded.

"Yeah, and Sejun is scared of everything. No way Jihoon would fear him." He added.

"Semin and Sejung are twins and I've only ever seen them nose deep in Spider-Man comic books. Come to think of it, I've never heard them speak." Seungkwan informed. "And it's obviously not me or Seokmin."

Chan crossed the names off then set the paper down, sighing as he rubbed at his eyes. Minghao came over, crouching down next to the pup and patting his head.

"That kinda narrows it down," Jun pointed out. "Who's left?"

"On which list? We have five." Wonwoo answered.

"This one, the most recent."

Mingyu picked the paper up, reading off the remaining names. "Seho, Sebong, Seulgi, Seoksoo."

"Who the heck is Seulgi?" Vernon asked, reaching for another list.

"Some girl," Jisoo muttered, flipping through the most recent yearbook. He stopped on a page, pointing at her photo. Everyone -sans Soonyoung- crowed around to see. "Jihoon wouldn't be scared of a girl, though."

"I dunno, hyung. She looks pretty intimidating." Seokmin disagreed. She was glaring at the camera in the photo, not smiling.

"I'd be scared of her if she looked at me like this." Chan admitted.

"Take her off," Soonyoung muttered.

"Huh?"

"Take her off the list," he repeated, louder. "Her name doesn't start with Se." 

"I mean, are you _sure _it was Se?" Seungkwan asked cautiously.

"It's not her."

He was back to staring out of the window. At the trees and birds and bugs. By this time, he thought, had everything not gone down the toilet, he and Jihoon would've already been settled into their house. They'd most likely be done unpacking and arranging everything...their life together would've started. No family to worry about bothering them, no more reluctant goodbyes when they had to part ways, no more set curfew.

Anger bubbled inside of him. Why. Why couldn't things have been simple? The two of them had already been through hell and back with their own families. Didn't they deserve a break? A happy ending? They _just _graduated and didn't even get a NIGHT to celebrate.

A single night. That was all he wanted. When he got Jihoon back, they would escape into their clearing. Spend a day -maybe more- away from everyone and everything. Just the two of them. The thought brought his heart a bit of relief.

"You know what? Let's go out." Seungcheol announced, standing up and stretching. Several pops accompanied the action, attesting to how long they'd been sitting around.

Soonyoung turned to him. "What?"

"You heard me," Seungcheol said, looking around his circle of friends. "We've been cooped up here for ten days, literally left maybe once, and I'm kinda sick of it. Jun, The8, I know you guys have to live like this everyday and I feel so bad for you cause this sucks. We need some fresh air."

The couple simply shared a look, shrugging. "We're used to it," Jun said.

"Coups is right, though," Minghao offered a smile. "You need some sense of normalcy in the midst of all this. Walk around or something. Go take a break."

***30 minutes later***

"This is nice, right?"

"Eh, we've walked around here a million times."

"No, we-"

"Sarcasm. It was sarcasm."

"Hoshi, for the love of God, cheer up."

"No."

"Let's go to the mall."

"I don't -"

"We're going to the mall!"

"Ok..."

***At the mall***

Despite everyone's attempts, Soonyoung continued to sulk, drained and exhausted once more. He moved slowly, taking small steps. Soonji, out of all of them, was getting fed up the quickest. Seeing as she lacked many normal human emotions, it was hard to understand why he would rather sulk in misery than allow himself the distraction.

"Young-ah, seriously. You've got to snap out of this." She chided, irritated.

"I need to sit down." Soonyoung mumbled, ignoring her as he made his way to a bench outside of a clothing store. Soonji huffed and entered, not acknowledging the fact that the sign above the entrance read 'Men's Clothing'.

Jeonghan joined him, draping an arm around his shoulders. "I can feel it." He murmured after a minute.

"Feel what?" Soonyoung's vocie was muffled behind his hands. He was slumped forward, elbows propped on his knees.

"Your pain. It feels like I'm grieving and I'm not even the one who lost my lifemate. That's how strong your pain is." He elaborated. Soonyoung dropped his hands, letting them dangled between his legs as he stared at the tile floor.

"Jihoon's pain is greater."

"How would you know?"

"How wouldn't I, hyung? I've seen one of their torture victims before. He was barely recognizable." Soonyoung shook his head. "They're ruthless. No matter who they capture. Mom showed me one of her memories from when they killed Jimin's newborn because she supposedly knew about Junhui's and Minghao's whereabouts and wouldn't tell them.

"Mom watched them drown her baby, forcing Jimin to watch before ripping her head off. She said she'll never forget Jimin's scream. Said she'd never heard a vampire in such pain." His voice was hushed, wavering as he recalled the memory. He sounded close to tears. "God knows what they're doing to my baby..."

***Jihoon POV***

Jihoon's scream echoed through the room, bouncing off of the concrete walls. He sagged against the one they'd stood him against, legs too weak to hold his weight. His shirt was ripped open, revealing his bruised torso. A six-inch long and shallow gash ran diagonally down his left pec, the bright red blood a stark contrast to his ailing pale skin.

His breathing was strained, features contorted in pain. His left eye had swollen completly shut and blood pouring from a cut on his forehead above his right brow blurred his sight as he had to continuously blink to clear his eye. There was a mix of fresh and healing bruises littering his entire body; mostly purples, blacks and blues along with a sickly pale yellow of the fading ones.

After having Baekhyun vanish from the room and his little talk with Chanyeol, Jihoon had experienced three days of silence. No beatings or anything. Another vampire - this one being a woman - had come three times a day to feed and give him water as well as lead him (blindfolded and handcuffed) to another room to relieve himself. He remained chained to the wall the rest of the time, sore and admittedly bored for the most part, but it was better than being tortured.

After three days of nothing, Baekhyun ordered for them to use knives. He didn't care what it took, he was determined to break Jihoon.

"Had enough yet?" One of the men sneered. Mingsoo had been replaced with two equally as sadistic and bloodthirsty men who also relished in every one of his screams and cries.

Jihoon's chest rose and fell rapidly, lungs fighting to pull in air. His head rested against his arm, chin tucked against his chest. His slightly parted lips moved, voice nearly inaudible. One of the men stepped forward, head cocked as he leaned in.

"What was that?"

"Kill me."

"Oh~ begging for death, are we? Mingsoo told you-"

"No." Jihoon shook his head slightly. "I'm not begging for anything."

"Then why would you tell me to kill you?"

"It's the only way you'll get an answer out of me."

***Soonyoung POV***

"...They could be raping him for all I know!"

"Soonyoung, please. You're only going to exhaust yourself even more thinking about that." Jeonghan reasoned. Soonyoung had gone on a two minute tangent, listing off everything Grave Lust could possibly be doing to Jihoon and Jeonghan was sure he could go on if he let him.

"I-" Soonyoung sighed. "I know worrying isn't helping but...I feel helpless. I feel so helpless. We have no leads, we don't know where they are and- and I don't even LIKE shopping!"

Jeonghan snorted, smiling a bit. He stood, patting Soonyoung on the back. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go find Cheollie. I think it's time we get out of here."

Soonyoung slumped against the back of the bench, sighing again as he rested his head against the wall. "Ok." His eyes slipped shut as he listened to Jeonghan's fading footsteps. _Se...was it really Se? Sebong...Seho...Seulgi? It couldn't be, Jisoo was right. Jihoon wouldn't be afriad of a girl..._

"Hey there cutie."

Soonyoung didn't register the voice or that he was the one being addressed until a throat was cleared directly in front of him. He opened his eyes to see a girl standing there, smiling sweetly at him. She was oddly familiar. He raised his brow.

"What?"

"I said hi cutie," the girl repeated in an annoyingly sweet voice. "What's a hot guy like you doing sitting here alone?"

"I'm not interested." Soonyoung muttered. She tilted her head, clearly trying to act cute.

"What? Am I not your type?" She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and her sleeve fell.

"I said-"

The bracelet around her wrist caught the light and Soonyoung's eye. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, standing slowly. The girl stepped back, surprised, as he came closer.

"Wha-"

"Give me your wrist." He commanded.

"Huh?"

"Your wrist. That one, with the bracelet."

"I don't-"

Impatient, Soonyoung grabbed her wrist, yanking it to his face. The bracelet was unsettlingly familiar and his stomach dropped as he reached his shaky other hand up and twisted it. **_Soonyoung's precious shining diamond_**_._ He froze for half a second before erupting into boiling rage. His eyes lifted and the girl - _Seulgi, _he now realized - looked as if she'd been caught red-handed.

_'Where did you get this?!'_

**'Wh-what-'**

_'It IS you.You went to school with us - you're a fucking vampire and work with Grave Lust. I am going to **kill **_ _you!'_

"Hoshi!"

Soonyoung's head snapped to the side. His friends and sister were walking towards him and he dragged Seulgi along to meet them, a steel grip on her arm. She stumbled behind him, trying to pull away.

"It's her," he growled. "She's the only we're looking for."

"Isn't that Seulgi? The scary one?" Jisoo asked.

"Look!" Soonyoung shoved her forward, holding her arm to show the bracelet he'd given to Jihoon. "She has his bracelet. This is our spy."

*******

_"I haven't taken this off since you gave it to me." Jihoon murmured, staring down at his wrist. The diamonds glittered in the winter sun as he slowly turned his arm this way and that to admire the bracelet. Soonyoung laughed._

_"Really? Not even to shower?" He watched Jihoon from the fallen tree. Jihoon was crouched next to the pond, arms wrapped around his legs, looking smaller than he already was. He smiled at his boyfriend from over his shoulder._

_"No. It's real so I don't have a reason to take it off." He turned his eyes back to the water, hearing a small 'whoosh' as Soonyoung joined him. He leaned into the older as an arm encircled him. "I don't know what I would do if I lost it."_

*******


	5. 5

"Soonyoung, calm down. We're still in public and you're going to draw attention to us by dragging a girl through the streets." Jisoo said, nearly having to jog to keep up with the half-blood. Soonyoung stopped abruptly, head snapping to Seulgi with narrowed eyes. In one swift move she was out cold and bridal style in his arms. Wordlessly, he continued walking.

"What was that for?" Seokmin asked.

"She was about to call for help. Had she gotten the signal out, we'd be screwed." He grunted, scanning the area as they reached the treeline and making sure they were alone before taking off at inhuman speed.

Soonji followed, as well as Jeonghan who held Seungcheol's hand to bring him along. Vernon, Chan and Wonwoo shifted to their wolf form, Seungkwan and Mingyu mounting their boyfriend's. The wolves took off and Jisoo and Seokmin shared a disbelieving look.

"They just left us. All of them." Seokmin exclaimed. "They always do this."

"I'll give it three seconds," Jisoo sighed. "Three...two.."

"Sorry!" Jeonghan and Soonji cried in unison as they appeared.

"Sure you are." Jisoo muttered as they were whisked away.

***At Another Safe House***

"For the tenth time, you CAN'T kill her."

"I don't see why not."

"She has Woozi's bracelet."

"We should make her suffer."

"Guys, be rational! We need answers! If we kill her now, we lose any chance of finding Jihoon. It's obvious she's linked directly to Grave Lust so we need to get information out of her." Jisoo all but screamed.

There was soft groan behind them and they turned to look at Seulgi. She opened her eyes slowly, lifting her head. Soonyoung stalked over, crouching in front of her. In his hand he held Jihoon's bracelet.

"Care to share who you got this from?" He growled. It took a moment for Seulgi's eyes to find his face and another to register the question. When she did, she smirked. Whispered mockingly.

"Your lover boy."

Before anyone could stop him, Soonyoung punched her in the stomach. She coughed violently, doubling over as much as the chains restraining her against the wall allowed. Seungcheol shifted forward but Jeonghan blocked him with an arm, shaking his head slightly.

"I wouldn't be making jokes if I were you. You don't want to die. Act tough all you want but I know you're scared. You're scared I'm going to kill you." Soonyoung spoke lowly, staring into her eyes. "And I am."

He watched with a twinge of satisfaction as her eyes widened ever so slightly.

"But not until I get what I want. Go ahead, tell Grave Lust we've captured you. Any tracking device you have is useless. Any and all signals are blocked. Even your phone."

Wonwoo stepped forward, arms crossed. "Tell them you're being held hostage just as Jihoon is."

"I know just how valuable you are to Baekhyun." Soonji cooed maliciously. "I went through your contacts and he would just hate it if his _baby sister_ were to be tortured and beaten, huh? Until she's unrecognizable." She stood, slowly making her way to the chained vampire. Grabbing her long hair, she yanked Seulgi's head back, her grip tight. "Tell them that if they don't cooperate, they'll be receiving your head on a stick."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short but short chapters = double updates cause chapter 6 is short too! So that'll be up soon~~~
> 
> Also, DISCLAIMER : I love Seulgi and Baekhyun irl, they're absolute sweethearts and very precious to me


	6. 6

"Baekhyun-ssi, Baekhyun-ssi!" One of his men came barreling into his office. "We've received a message from Seulgi."

Baekhyun's elbows rested atop his large desk, fingers intertwined and chin resting lightly on them. He raised a brow. "Has she found them?"

"Well,"

"It is a yes or no question, Sowon. Do not waste my time." Though Baekhyun's words were soft - gently voiced - Sowon became uneasy. The dark walled, candlelit room created an ominous atmosphere that made him even more nervous as Baekhyun watched him with a carefully blank yet expectant expression.

"Yes, sir. She found them-"

"Wonderful. Did she find Junhui and Minghao? What is her location?"

"That, um, that's the problem sir. She's been captured."

The air seemed to thicken as Baekhyun rose from his chair. His eyes burned like fire though his voice remained soft. "Captured?"

"She's being held hostage and was told to tell us that if we don't cooperate, the only thing we'll be receiving is her head on a stick."

"Why have you not tracked her, you imbecile?!" He hissed, rounding the desk.

Sowon took a step back, swallowing. "We tried, sir. Wherever they've taken her is secure, scrambling all of our tracking signals. There's nothing we can do."

Baekhyun's eyes went blood red. "So help me if my sister dies, every last one of your cobweb filled heads are **MINE.**" he snarled, turning to his body guard who stood stock still next to his office door, eyes staring straight ahead. Despite his stoic features, he gulped silently, adams apple bobbing. "ALL of them." He looked back at Sowon. "Go find her."

Sowon hesitated for barely a moment and Baekhyun exploded, fangs out and voice booming. "GET EVERY MAN HERE AND GO FIND MY SISTER!" Sowon and the body guard flinched.

"Even the ones-"

"EVERY!" Baekhyun cleared his throat, speaking calmly again. "If you wish to live to see your lifemate again, I suggest you go now. Every man in this building is to be working on finding Seulgi. Or else you will be in chains and tortured right next to that human."

"Y-yes sir."

"Quickly, you twat."

Sowon scrambled to leave, tripping over his own feet. Baekhyun took a deep breath, pausing when he noticed the guard still in the room, watching him warily from his peripheral. He closed his eyes, speaking a single, soft word loaded with a thousand knives - "Go." - and the man left his presence.

***Jihoon POV***

Jihoon was barely conscious. His body ached deeply and horribly. Alcohol had been poured over his cuts, his captors laughing as he writhed, crying weakly. He was almost positive that his body was going into some sort of shock from the torture. It was getting harder and harder to stay awake and he wished they'd just let him pass out. But every time he became unresponsive, they slapped him or threw water in his face.

Just as the men who beat him, these ones were calculated and meticulous in the placement, size and depth of each cut. In all, there were six - one on his forehead, two on his chest, one on each bicep, another on his stomach. They were all shallow, none deep enough to damage any major arteries - after all, their fun would be ruined if he bled out.

They were currently discussing their next move, seeing as even this wasn't working, when the door slammed against the wall. A frantic Sowon stood in the entryway.

"Hyunwu, Minhyun, Seulgi's been captured and Baekhyun wants us to find her."

The taller one, Hyunwu, scoffed. "But what about our _job?"_

"Have you made any progress?" 

"No." Minhyun answered.

"Then what's the use? Come on - he's ready to kill if we don't hurry." Sowon stressed, leaving without checking if they were following first. Minhyun spared Jihoon's limp figure once last glance then shrugged, nodding toward the door.

"Let's go."

Jihoon's head turned weakly to the door that hung open in their haste. He huffed a sigh, head lolling back to the front. His eye slipped shut and everything went black as he finally lost consciousness.


	7. 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is smut in this chapter. If you're not into that - don't read. That's all I can tell you. You can skip it if you want but be warned that it's not just one single section where the smut is taking place. It's scattered throughout the chapter (if you don't understand, you'll see what I mean as you read) It's not too descriptive or dirty or ...well written tbh. so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

"Hoon-ah. Jihoonie, wake up."

"Hmm?" Jihoon groggily opened his eyes, vision blurry. He blinked, lifting his head. The first things that caught his attention were glowing purple irises. He sat up quickly, head whirling. He scanned his location - bedroom floor, surrounded by boxes. He lifted his arms - no bruises. Looked down his shirt - no cuts. What?

It was dark, the only light source being the light in the hallway. Confusion filled him. Home. He was at home. Not in a dingy torture room. Had he only been dreaming?

"Jihoon-ah, what's wrong? You look confused." Soonyoung mused with a tiny laugh. Instead of responding, Jihoon clung to Soonyoung, hiding his face and breathing out a shuddering breath. Soonyoung hugged him back, cooing. "What's wrong, love? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yes," Jihoon nodded. "What...what time is it?"

"12:30," Soonyoung replied. "You weren't responding to my texts so I came to check on you."

Jihoon lifted his head, looking at his boyfriend with shining eyes. "I love you."

The confession lifted an unknown weight from his chest, flooding him with an overwhelming rush of emotion and earning him the biggest smile. Soonyoung drew him into a kiss and he held tighter to him, never wanting the moment to end.

"I love you," Jihoon whispered against his lips, liking how easily the words rolled off of his tongue. Soonyoung hummed, pulling away slowly. He rubbed their noses together and Jihoon's heart pounded with the simple gesture as Soonyoung moved to press kisses against his forehead, eyelids and nose.

"I lo-" he halted, eyes suddenly locked on Jihoon's left wrist as his brows furrowed, smile disappearing. "Where's your bracelet?"

"What?"

_"Hoon-ah, wake up! Oh God, please wake up. Did they kill you?"_

Soonyoung's face began to fade and panic gripped Jihoon like a vice. "Soonyoung? Wait - no! Soonyoung!"

_"Where's your bracelet?"_

When his eyes opened a second time, Jihoon was met with a panicked, saucer-eyed Chanyeol who heaved a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank God!" He cried, falling back on his haunches. "I thought they killed you."

"I thought...I told y-" Jihoon was thrown into a coughing fit, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. Chanyeol became frantic again.

"Oh God, please don't die!"

"Shut," Jihoon wheezed, voice raspy. "up."

"Hoon-ah, Seulgi's been captured,"

At the mention of her name, Jihoon felt a tiny stab of fear followed immediately by annoyance. "Why should I care?"

"I'm pretty sure it was Soonyoung who captured her." He watched as Jihoon's cloudy, unfocused eyes lit up at the name. "Somehow they found her and took her to a remote location. We're unable to pick up a tracking signal."

"I don't care. Why do you feel the need to tell me this?" Jihoon huffed.

"Because Baekhyun doesn't take to this type of thing lightly. He'll no doubt retaliate but I want to help you, Jihoon. Just -"

"If you wanted to help me...you wouldn't... have helped them," Jihoon closed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to drift back into his dream world where Soonyoung was and where everything was fine.

"Chanyeol!"

"I have to go," Chanyeol whispered shakily. "But, really Jihoon, I want to - I _will _help you."

"Chanyeol!!"

"I'm coming!"

Jihoon listened to to the retreating footfalls. His heart ached dully and it angered him because it ached for the man who'd betrayed him. _He's nothing to me now, _he reminded himself. _Nothing._

***Chanyeol POV***

Chanyeol hurried down the hallway away from Jihoon's torture room. He'd been looking back as he rounded the corner so when he faced forward and saw Baekhyun standing there, staring him down with red eyes, he couldn't stop the way he flinched almost violently.

"Where are you coming from Channie? You look... nervous."

Chanyeol gulped, slowing his step as he approached his lifemate. "Um...j-just, you know...check - checking on the uh, prisoner..." He stammered, attempting and failing to be casual.

"I gave you orders, Park Chanyeol. They were specific, were they not?" Baekhyun asked in that fooling, gentle voice.

"Yes, they were." Chanyeol responded meekly, casting his eyes down.

"You were not to see the hostage alone. Did you or did you not agree to these instructions?"

"I did." The volume of his voice steadily declined until it was a mere whisper. Baekhyun stepped forward and he flinched. The vampire reached out, gently lifting Chanyeol's chin with a finger.

"Then why," his voice darkened, dangerous. "Why do you continue to disobey me?"

Chanyeol remained silent.

"Yeol-ah, you know I love you. Correct?" Baekhyun asked, head tilting. He received a timid nod. "You please me, sexually and otherwise. You allow me to feed from you and you do not go against my word. At least, not until this other human came into the picture. You have blatantly disobeyed me and talked back to me which is leading me to believe you are on his side. Are you siding with him, Chanyeol?"

"I... I'm sorry, Baekhyun-ah. I-"

"Man up." Baekhyun gazed at him in disgust. "You have never been so jittery or nervous around me. Where has your confidence gone? The exact thing that drew me to you is now somehow lacking. Where is your sense? Your ability to take charge." His voice rose in volume, challenging and meant to provoke the human. "Are you a man or a coward?"

Chanyeol lifted his head then, jaw clenched. He looked directly into his lover's eyes. "I am no coward."

Baekhyun smirked. Whispered. "Then prove it."

He found himself pinned to the wall, drawn into a rough kiss. Empty of sweetness and love - full of nipping teeth and the bruising crush of lips as Chanyeol pressed against him. He broke the kiss, growling into Baekhyun's ear.

"I am no coward."

"No? Well, it is going to take more than that to convince me, Yeol. You have been acting cowardly for nearly two weeks. It is going to take more than a kiss."

"What's it going to take, then?" Chanyeol smirked. Baekhyun hummed, smiling up at him with innocent brown eyes.

"Fuck me."

In the blink of an eye, the two were in Baekhyun's candlelit room. The vampire preferred candles to sun and artificial lights, the rooms he occupied the most hosting multiple unscented candles waiting to be lit. Shadows danced across the curtains covering his windows and heavy drapes around their king sized bed.

Baekhyun wasted no time in undressing himself and Chanyeol, guiding the younger to hover above him as he laid down. "I am allowing you to have full control. Prove to me that you are a man."

***Jihoon POV***

_"Where's your bracelet?"_

The line echoed in his head and Jihoon was vaguely aware of the fact that his wrist felt achingly empty beneath his restraints. Surely if he still had it, there would be an added pressure of it against his skin. 

Gathering what little strength he had left, Jihoon lifted his head, turning it to catch a glimpse of his wrist. He twisted his left arm, watching for the diamonds to catch the dim light. Nothing. His heart seized and breathing became even harder.

He gasped, panic filling his aching body. Where was his bracelet? A strangled noise clawed its way up his throat, released in a cry. He yanked weakly at his restraints, ribs screaming against the racking of his sobbing body. He wailed pitifully, his voice too ruined to allow the sounds the volume they deserved. Where was his bracelet?

***Chanyeol POV***

Chanyeol smirked as Baekhyun squealed beneath him. The vampire wore a pleased smile as he allowed his arms to be pinned above his head. His feminine body moved enchantingly; the arch of his back, the curve of his neck as he tilted it to allow Chanyeol access to his pale skin, the way he pressed his thighs together when he got overwhelmed - though he would argue to his deathbed that he couldn't be overwhelmed - and it drove Chanyeol absolutely mad.

"Yeol-ah, you know I do not like being teased," Baekhyun huffed breathlessly when the taller traced his thighs with the tips of his fingers, spreading them.

Chanyeol nipped at the inside of Baekhyun's thigh as he brought a hand to rub at the vampires hole. "Did I ask what you wanted?"

"No. But it has been a while since you have...put me in my place so to speak. Are you man enough to reclaim your dominance over me? Or are you still a coward?"

Seconds later, Baekhyun released a high pitched squeal as Chanyeol plunged three fingers into him.

***Jihoon POV***

"Soonyoung!" Jihoon fought with every fiber of his being though he knew his efforts were fruitless. His chains rattled, the sound creating a miserable cacophony along with his cries.

Had Baekhyun's men still been in the room, they would witness the thing they'd been working tirelessly toward. Jihoon's breaking point. And nothing they had done caused it.

The only physical connection Jihoon had to Soonyoung was gone. Normally, when the two were separated, Jihoon could look at the bracelet and smile, knowing they weren't completely separated. The nights he had to spend alone were spent with him playing absent-mindedly with it while Soonyoung sang him to sleep through the phone, whispering an "I love you" when he was sure Jihoon had fallen asleep. But now... almost two weeks of being separated, almost two weeks of torture and pain - and he had nothing. 

"Soonyoung~" he wept, hoping with his entire being that Soonyoung would hear his voiceless plea. 'Save me...'

Soonyoung fell to his knees, letting out a strangled cry.

Everyone jumped up, rushing to him as tears burned his eyes. He clutched at his chest, gasping at the pain wrenching his heart. A pitiful mewl spilled past his lips when he tried to speak, tears spilling down his cheeks.

"What's wrong?? What happened?" Seokmin cried, panicked.

Jeonghan placed a hand on Soonyoung's shoulder only to snatch it back, gasping as if he'd been burned. A rush of emotions - fear, remorse and, most prominently, pain - coursed through him.

"It's Jihoon," he informed them, worry lacing his tone. "It's Jihoon and he's in so much pain that Soonyoung can feel it. It's like their hearts are breaking." He looked around at the others, eyes wide. "They're in so much pain. We're running out of time."

Seungkwan knelt, enveloping Soonyoung in a hug, only to be pushed away as the half-blood staggered to his feet. "N-no, I - Jihoon," his chest heaved and he trembled, unable to form an intelligible sentence.

"Now? Why now?" Chan frowned, wringing his hands. "What could have made this happen so suddenly?"

A sadistic laugh came from behind them and Soonji's eyes darkened with rage. She turned to Seulgi who smirked mockingly at her.

"Boo hoo. Half bloods are so we-_ ack_!" Soonji's hand was around her throat before she could finish her statement, a crushing force.

"Half bloods are _what_?" She hissed.

***Chanyeol POV***

The headboard thudding against the wall created a pleasure filled cacophony along with Baekhyun's screams and moans. His neck and chest were covered in hickies, Chanyeol holding his hips in a bruising grip. A sinister smile played on his lips as he lifted his eyes to the vampires. Baekhyun gave a look to match, his own glowing in the candlelight.

"Do you still view me as a coward?" Chanyeol grunted, slowing into a dirty grind with his hips pressed flush against Baekhyun. He didn't receive a response and gave a single, hard thrust to elicit a squeal from his lover. "Huh? Am I still a coward?" He repeated the action again and again until he felt Baekhyun's thighs tighten around his waist, stopping abruptly. He chuckled at the protesting whine. "Say I'm a man."

Baekhyun stares defiantly back at him. He hardened his gaze and Chanyeol glared back. They stayed like that for a minute, then a slow smile graced Baekhyun's kiss swollen lips.

"There it is. The confidence that drew me to you. You have proven yourself once more." He praised, panting lightly. "You are a man."

***Jihoon POV***

"Soonyoung-ah... I love you...I miss you," Jihoon whimpered, collapsing against the wall, sliding down as much as his chains allowed. His arms burned. "If you can somehow hear me..."

_'I miss you. Save me...'_

Heads swiveled, on high alert, when Soonyoung gasped again. He'd ended up curled into himself on the floor, unable to compose himself as waves of pain rendered him speechless.

"What? What happened??" Seungcheol demanded.

"J-Jihoon. I heard his voice." Soonyoung croaked, scrambling into a sitting position with shaking arms.

"What did he say?" Several voices asked in unison.

"He said he misses me and he said, 'Save me'."

"He could communicate with you this entire time?" Seungcheol asked, eyes narrowed.

"I don't - I don't know! We've never tried - never _thought _to try. We've only ever done it when we were in the same room." Soonyoung confessed. "As far as I know, it takes several years of being together to communicate telepathically over long distance."

"But...but how do we know it's long distance?" Vernon interjected. "He could be close. So much closer than we know."

_'Baby, if you can hear this, I'm going to find you. I will find you. And that's a promise I will keep.'_

***Jihoon POV***

A tiny bit of relief covered Jihoon's heart when he heard Soonyoung's voice. It allowed him a moment of peace as his tears slowed, a feeling of nothingness overcoming his exhausted body. He slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep, temporarily escaping his pain and sorrow and fear.

***Chanyeol POV***

"Mmm," Baekhyun giggled. The look of pure satisfaction on his face filled Chanyeol with pride. He loved when Baekhyun was pleased with him, when he turned smiley and giggly - a complete 180 from his normal day-to-day attitude. The smaller male cuddled up next to his human lover, eyes closed and sighing contently.

Chanyeol smiled down at Baekhyun. It was moments like this that he cherished most. Moments when he could hold Baekhyun, moments when they could just lie together - talking or in comfortable silence... Moments like these were rare. So he took advantage of them every chance he could.

"I love you, Baekhyun."

A small beat of silence passed.

"And I you, Park Chanyeol."


	8. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 5945 words and I'm the only person writing and editing and proofreading it - if there's any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors, be gentle with me.
> 
> UPDATE 1/4/20 : SO I'VE GONE BACK AND MADE A FEW EDITS AND THIS IS NOW AT 5980 WORDS.

_"How do we know it's long distance, though? He could be close. So much closer than we know."_

* * *

"He is."

Seungkwan looked at Seulgi with narrowed eyes. "What?"

"He is closer than you think." she repeated softly. "So much."

"Then where is he?!" Mingyu bellowed, rushing forward and grabbing her by the shirt, shaking her.

"Stop!" Jisoo huffed. "She's lying. How would she know if Jihoon is close or not if she doesn't even know where _she _is? She's just trying to get a rise out of us."

Mingyu released her with a clenched jaw and Seulgi rolled her eyes. "Look at you being a little peacekeeper."

"Another unhelpful word out of you and I'm snapping your legs." Soonyoung threatened.

"You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?"

"You're insane."

"And you're an idiot. Who goes around flaunting the engraved stolen jewelry of a missing person?" He scoffed. "You're a special kind of stupid and I almost feel bad for you because of it."

"You'll never find him. I'll make sure of that."

"Will you? I don't see how, considering you managed to get yourself caught and held captive. You're full of empty threats. We will kill you. In the slowest, most painful way we can. We will make you _suffer_."

"It amuses me how stubborn you're being." Jeonghan mused as he made his way over, his hands shoved loosely into his pant pockets. He placed one on the other vampires shoulder, eyes flashing as he felt her emotions course through him not even a second later. He tilted his head, whispering. "I can feel your fear. You're hoping with your entire being that we don't kill you. If you had a heart, it would be racing."

"I can tell you now that if you cooperate, _we_ won't kill you." Wonwoo claimed, gesturing to the boys that sat around him. "You'll be returned to Grave Lust once we get Jihoon back and they'll decide to deal with your treason however they please."

Seulgi focused her untrusting eyes on the two siblings, nodding toward them. "What about him? Or his sister?"

They growled in unison, Soonji flashing her fangs with an irritated hiss. Wonwoo stuck his arm out in front of them as if to hold them back.

"I promise nothing on their part but for now, they won't hit you anymore." he said pointedly, earning a deadly glare from them. He stared back, unwavering, and they backed down, fuming but begrudgingly acquiescing.

"Say something stupid, though, and that's on you." Seokmin warned.

Seulgi looked between her captors, who stared back expectantly, and sighed in defeat.

"Fine. I'll help, but for starters, my brother is going to want a trade. Most ideally, Minghao and Junhui."

"Well, that's not going to happen. Two for one isn't even a fair trade."

"He won't do it otherwise. That's the reason he took your lover boy in the first place. We knew that because of you-" she glanced at Soonyoung. "-he more likely than not knows who and where they are."

"Wait a minute." Seungcheol shook his head as if trying to clear it, eyes squinted in irritated confusion. "You know that Soonyoung and Jeonghan are almost direct links to Junhui and Minghao - Grave Lust knows that, correct?" when she nodded her agreement, he continued. "Then why didn't you target them? Why Jihoon of all people?"

Seulgi floundered for a moment, mouth opening and closing, clearly caught off guard by the question. Soonyoung beat her to it.

"Jealousy."

"I'm sorry, what?" Chan quirked a brow. "Jealousy?"

"As the only spy who went to our school, she must've been the one to suggest Jihoon out of jealousy of our relationship."

"That's ridic-"

"You chose a low-life _mortal _over me. I've never not been the one boys pursue." Seulgi grumbled bitterly, confirming the suspicion. "That's why I chose him. Humans are easy to break compared to vampires and even half-bloods. Most of them anyway. Your little twink of a-" she spat the word out as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. "_boyfriend_ has held up surprisingly well."

Soonyoung saw red and Jeonghan leapt forward to restrain him, pinning his wrists behind his back. "I will **kill** you!" he roared, fighting against the hold.

"Hoshi! Calm down!" Jisoo cried. "This is exactly the reaction she wants from you- you need to calm down!"

Seulgi watched the scene with a twisted smile, too distracted in her own amusement to see Soonji coming near until a hand wrapped tight around her throat. She gasped, eyes bulging as Soonji pressed her into the wall, nearly cutting off her air supply. "You keep on testing me," she hissed into the vampires ear through gritted teeth. "You don't seem to understand just how serious I am when I say that I will rip your head off. I know exactly what kind of compromise your brother will accept." She glanced over her shoulder. "Vernon."

Seulgi shifted her eyes, noticing the phone in said boys hand. Her phone. "You fools," she wheezed, barely audible. "There's a tracking device. They'll know where I am as soon as you send that video."

Soonji tightened her grip further, completely cutting off air flow and Seulgi began to panic. "Picture," she first corrected. "And, no. They won't."

"Wonwoo here destroyed both the tracking device in your phone and the one they'd attached to Woozi's bracelet." Chan said smugly. "They'll receive our message and nothing more."

The phone got passed off to Jeonghan, Soonyoung having relocated to the kitchen with Jisoo who talked him down, and the brunet murmured a "Be right back" before leaving the safe house. Soonji released the vampire who gasped for breath, spluttering and coughing, hands twitching as if trying to reach for her aching neck. Soonji sat on the back of the couch and Jeonghan reappeared seconds later, tossing the phone to Wonwoo.

"I'm back."

"Now," Seungcheol looked around the group. "We wait."

***Baekhyun POV***

"Baekhyun-ssi! Baekhyun-ssi! This is urgent!" Sowon called as he raced about the building, checking every room for the man. He wasn't in his office, the conference room, the torture room (though that was just the last resort option), or the controls room which left only the bedroom as an option. Sowon steeled himself before making his way down that hallway - the bedroom was off-limits to everyone but Baekhyun and Chanyeol- so he couldn't help but hesitate. He lifted a hand, took a breath, then pounded on the door.

"Baekhyun! Sir, this is urgent. It's about your sister!" he yelled.

The door flew open mid knock and Sowon stumbled back as he was met with fiery red eyes. "My sister? Have you found her?"

"No, but we've received a message."

***Controls Room***

"The message attached reads: '_we destroyed her tracking devices. If you want your sister back alive, you'll contact us within the next 24 hours. If you don't comply, as we've said before, you'll be receiving her head on a stick. Clock's ticking.'_" a woman by the name Chaeyeon read from one of the monitors, turning to Baekhyun afterwards. "What would you like us to do, Sir?"

Baekhyun remained silent, staring at the screen displaying the picture they received from Seulgi's phone. It showed a hand wrapped around her throat and captured, clear as day, the fear in her dilated pupils. He chewed on his bottom lip in thought, his otherwise blank face concealing the rage and slightest hint of nerves simmering in his stomach.

"Sir, what-"

"I am THINKING." Baekhyun snapped, quickly silencing Chaeyeon.

"What is there to think about?" another person asked across the room, tapping his fingers impatiently on his desk. "You-"

"Get the human."

***Jihoon POV***

Jihoon jolted awake at the feeling of being moved. His head spun when he tried to open his eyes, rolling lifelessly between his shoulders. He managed to crack one eye open, attempting to see the person carrying him by his arms. He registered another pair of hands on his ankles but couldn't lift his head. His little sliver of vision whirled and he closed his eye, too stuck drifting in and out of consciousness to be confused. He was dully aware of what was going on but felt entirely out of his own body. He felt nothing; no pain or aching or numbness. Nothing.

His body was dumped onto the floor, head thumping against it and pulling a weak groan from his lips. Whatever room he'd been taken to was brightly lit and burned his eyes behind his lids. He squeezed them tighter closed, unused to such brightness after being chained in the room with the pitiful naked lightbulb for what felt like ages. There were voices, muffled and all mixing together to create a distorted song that buzzed in his ears and triggered the beginnings of a headache.

A hand grabbed his hair, yanking him up off the cold floor. The voices faded and Jihoon forced open his right eye, the dried blood on his lashes making doing so difficult. It ached and burned, taking longer than normal to focus and adjust to the bright room. When it did, he briefly scanned what was in his line of vision before the owner of the hand tightened their grip on his hair, forcing him to look at the person in front of him. He was vaguely aware of the burning sensation in his scalp as he lifted his eye to meet Baekhyun's.

The vampire looked down his nose at him, hands clasped behind his back as he addressed Jihoon. "Your friends have become bold, Jihoon. They have found a way to communicate with us by kidnapping my sister-"

"As you've done me?" he rasped and the hand jerked his head, knocking his vision out of focus. Nausea washed over him and he closed his eye again, fighting against his stomach to keep down the little food he had in him.

"-and they have threatened me. They sent a picture and message saying that if we do not respond within twenty four hours, they will kill her." He finished, agitation seeping into his features. He held a hand out, fingers snapping, and someone else entered Jihoon's blurry line of vision.

"And why..." Jihoon coughed, an ugly hacking sound that made his ribs, lungs, and throat burn. His chest heaved, catching his breath an entirely too difficult task. "...do I need to know this?"

"Because. We are going to retaliate with our own _video_."

***Soonyoung POV***

> ** _Ding!_ **

The group turned simultaneously to the phone sat atop the coffee table. They exchanged glances, no one making a move. In the end, Chan reached for the phone and opened it, eyes going wide as he read the text.

"Um, guys? This...this isn't good." His voice had a nervous tremor to it that unsettled the rest of the group.

"Well?" Seungkwan rubbed his hands together slowly. "What does it say?"

"'Meet me at Moon Park Woods. Bring Junhui, Minghao and Seulgi. Once I have them, you will get Jihoon but if you kill my sister, I kill your lover,'" he read. "And there's a video attached."

"Soonyoung," Mingyu started worriedly. "Maybe it's best you don't-"

"Play the video." Soonyoung commanded, voice void of any emotion. He had his jaw set, eyes narrow.

_'Young-ah...if you can hear me, stay calm. I don't know if you've watched the video but I know he sent one... don't let it affect you. Don't let them win.'_

Chan looked to everyone else for confirmation and received hesitant nods. He took in a breath, held it, and pressed play.

The screen remained black for a few seconds and the group waited with bated breath for something - anything - to happen. Jihoon's face appeared and they released a unison, horrified gasp. His face was swollen and bruised, a blood crusted cut sat above his right brow, his hair messy and filthy atop his head. His shirt had been removed and the camera panned down his battered torso covered in cuts and bruises. His ribs were visible, skin sickly pale, and he looked half-dead, as if he weren't breathing. To add insult to injury, there was a hand around his throat, thick fingers gripping tight and holding his limp body up.

The video ended and Chan threw the phone across the room with a disgusted sound, features twisted into a scowl. It landed with a clatter, Seulgi's indignant cry upon hearing the screen shatter going unheard. Soonji glanced at Soonyoung, trying to gauge his reaction. There was a mix of emotion from everyone, from anger to disgust to sorrow to relief at merely knowing that despite his state, Jihoon was alive. Not well. But alive.

"Hoshi?" Soonji whispered. His face hadn't changed for the last minute and she began to worry. "What's going through your head, Young-ah?"

"He said to meet them at midnight?" Seulgi inquired. They turned to her and she shrunk in on herself a little. "Hold the death stares, I'm helping." She waited for their expressions to turn less hostile before continuing. "Baekhyun is smart. Clever. And he doesn't play by the rules. If he's planning where and when you meet, he's also planning an attack - an ambush, rather. He'll try to take out as many of you as possible and get his hands on Junhui and Minghao the second you arrive."

"Hoshi?" Jeonghan raised a brow at the half-blood who was still silent and expressionless, eyes on the coffee table.

Soonyoung glanced at Seulgi then motioned for everyone to follow him into the kitchen, pointedly ignoring her complaints of "Wow, not even a 'thank you'". They stood in a semicircle around him, Soonyoung leaning against the counter next to the sink. He locked eyes with Jeonghan first.

_'We'll need your mothers sleep potion for Seulgi, we're not taking any chances tonight. I'm getting my mother to call a clan meeting. Soonji and I will get them updated and we'll get ready for tonight.'_

He then looked at Wonwoo. 

_'Take Vernon, Chan and the humans back to Jun and Minghao's. We're not taking them and we're not risking putting the rest of you in danger. We might need the pack as backup but that's only if a fight breaks out, which it probably will.'_

Lastly, he turned to his sister. "Come with me."

***SY Mother's House***

"Soonyoung? Soonji?" Mrs. Kwon stood as her children came barreling into the living room. An air of urgency surrounded them and she waited expectantly for an explanation of their sudden appearance. Mrs. Lee ambled downstairs, making a surprised sound upon see the siblings.

"Oh? What brings you guys here so suddenly?" She asked. Ever since Jihoon's kidnapping, she'd been staying with Mrs. Kwon, too scared and distraught to stay alone at her own house.

"Mom, we need you to call a clan meeting." Soonyoung said.

"Have you found Jihoon?" Mrs. Lee questioned, a hopeful look in her tired eyes.

The siblings exchanged a glance, Soonji being the one to answer.

"Yes and no. We know who has him but we don't know where he is."

"Well, who has him?"

Another pause.

"Grave Lust."

Mrs. Kwon paled. She'd already had an inkling -they all did but now her fears were confirmed. Mrs. Lee noticed the reaction and looked between her and the children.

"What? Is my son ok?"

Soonyoung shook his head grimly. "Far from it. But we're getting him back tonight."

"Tonight? Why not now?? What have they done to my child??" Mrs. Lee demanded, growing hysterical. Soonyoung placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Auntie, please. We're going to get him back but you have to calm down and let us handle this. We're going to meet them at midnight and they're going to give us Jihoon."

Mrs. Lee nodded and sighed, moving to curl up in the armchair.

"And what do they want in exchange?" Mrs. Kwon asked, the question directed at Soonji. "We all know you're not getting him without a trade."

"Jun, Minghao and Seulgi."

"That's-"

"Did you say Seulgi?" Mrs. Lee interrupted. The family looked at her.

"Yes."

"Jihoon told me about a girl named Seulgi. Said she made him uncomfortable cause she always glared at him and harassed him at school." She said with a frown.

Soonyoung and Soonji met eyes and Soonji huffed. 

**'I call dibs on ripping her head off._'_**

_'You'll have to beat me to her.'_

Mrs. Lee quirked a brow at their mother. "Are they doing the nonverbal telekawhatsit thing?"

The other woman chuckled fondly. "Yes, they are." She snapped to regain their attention. "So we're calling a clan meeting?"

***1 hour later***

"Grave Lust? We can't fight them."

"Why not? We're as strong as they are."

"No, they're ruthless killers."

"We don't stand a chance."

Soonyoung slammed his fist against the wall he leaned against, effectively shutting everyone up and catching the clan's attention. "You're all pitiful," he condescended, eyes narrowed in contempt. "You know that? A group of ten teenagers - half of which are _human _\- are more willing to risk their lives and take on Grave Lust without a second thought than a _clan of vampires._ It seems I've called on cowards for help."

"I am no coward." Wonho, one of the older vampires, growled, stepping forward. Soonji lifted her chin, jutting it at him.

"Then **prove** it."

There was a beat of silence before the Undying Hearts clan leader stood, squaring his shoulders and nodding to the teens. "What's the plan?"

***First Safe House - 11pm***

"But hyung~!"

"Chan, you have to stay here." Wonwoo said for what felt like the hundredth time. The young wolf was persistent, desperately eager to join the group of Moonchasers that would act as reinforcements for Undying Hearts should they need it.

"I'm seventeen, though! I'm old enough to fight with you guys!" He protested.

"For the last time, no. I'm not even going to fight. We're just on standby as backup if needed."

Chan huffed, storming off to flop on the couch between Minghao and Seungcheol, whining petulantly. He crossed his arms and Minghao smiled a little, patting the top of his head. Seungcheol was hunched over, his eyes screwed shut with his head bowed and clasped hands pressed over his lips that were moving in a silent prayer.

On the other side of the room next to the kitchen entrance, Seungkwan clung onto Vernon, face hidden in his neck. His breaths were shaky yet he refused to cry, trembling with nerves and anticipation, hope hidden beneath trepidation. Vernon, although nervous himself, was rubbing his back soothingly with one hand, the other cupping the back of Seungkwan's neck as he whispered reassurances.

"Don't worry, Kwannie. Chances are I won't even have to join the fight."

"And if you do?" Seungkwan looked up with watery eyes. Vernon pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead, lips brushing against his skin as he replied.

"I'll be fine. Promise."

Meanwhile, Mingyu and Wonwoo were near the door, standing with their fingers intertwined and foreheads pressed together. They were quiet, eyes closed as they bathed in each other's presence, sharing the same breath, hearts beating in sync.

"Don't let them win. If you have to fight, don't let them take you away from me." Mingyu murmured. Wonwoo opened his eyes, lifting them as he cupped Mingyu's cheek. The younger met his gaze and he leaned in, connecting their lips in a feather light kiss.

"I won't," he promised, deep voice soothing his boyfriend. "We didn't come this far to lose."

The house remained silent other than Seungkwan's shaky exhales and Chan's occasional huff, the air heavy as they waited. 

Soon, Jeonghan would come to lead the pack to their positions. Soon, midnight would strike and they would come face to face with the clan they all have been running from and evading for years. Soon, there would be fighting - though they only addressed it as a possibility, they all knew deep inside that it was going to happen. Soon, everything would change and they could only hope it be for the better.

Heads snapped to the front door as Jeonghan appeared, face set in a serious mask. "Let's go."

***Moon Park Woods - 56 minutes later***

"You ready?" Soonji whispered to Soonyoung.

They were perched high in a tree at the edge of the field, hidden amongst the leaves. The other clan members were dispersed in the trees around them at different levels, waiting for their signal. Thanks to Seulgi's warning, they managed to catch the ambushers off guard rather than the other way around. Earlier in the day, a team had been sent to the park to wait for and get rid of the people Baekhyun had planted on their side, luckily only losing one of their own along the way.

Soonyoung nodded, his body rigid and pressed against the tree trunk. He touched a hand to his pocket, Jihoon's bracelet tucked inside. He looked around, meeting eyes with a few of the clan members, including his mother. She nodded once at him and he breathe in silently to calm the anxious flutter of his heart, checking his watch. 12:00am. Midnight.

He jumped out of the tree and landed soundlessly, followed immediately by Soonji, their mother, Jeonghan and his parents, Wonho- who had a 'sleeping' Seulgi thrown over his shoulder- and a few others including the clan leader. Everyone else remained hidden in the trees, waiting.

They entered the field just as Baekhyun emerged from the other side, also surrounded. Jihoon was out cold, carried in a somewhat gentle manner by Chanyeol. The sight had rage flaring in Soonyoung's chest and he knew without looking that Soonji and Jeonghan were as furious as him. Chanyeol had no right to even touch Jihoon after all he'd put them through.

The two sides stared each other down for a few tense moments, sizing each other up. Baekhyun stepped out of his circle of bodyguards. He lifted his chin, a small, arrogant smile gracing his pink lips.

"Soonyoung," he called. "I see you were too cowardly to come alone."

"Says the one with bodyguards!" Soonji retorted. "You've got an arsenal surrounding you."

"You weren't expecting us to show up at all, were you?" Soonyoung questioned, crossing his arms. He saw the way Baekhyun's eyes flickered above him, probably wondering where his spies had gone.

"And what would make you think that?"

"You set up spies."

"Spies?"

"In the trees. You're the cowardly one for attempting an ambush."

"And who," Baekhyun hissed, venomous. "told you of my spies?"

"We're not fools," Jeonghan scoffed. "What else would we expect from you? Unfortunately for you, we seemed to be the ones doing the ambushing. All of your spies are dead." He said, pouting mockingly.

"Enough! Where are Junhui and Minghao? We agreed on a trade, did we not?"

"You don't seem the slightest bit worried about your poor sister," Soonji sneered, jerking her head at the unconscious girl. Baekhyun's eyes traveled to her for the first time and Soonyoung caught the way his jaw twitched, body jerking slightly like he wanted to move toward her.

"What have you done to her?"

Wonho walked forward, dropping her a couple feet in front of Soonyoung. Mrs. Yoon spoke from where she stood behind the teens.

"Nothing. It's merely a potion."

Baekhyun didn't take his eyes off of Soonyoung as he beckoned Chanyeol to come forward. "Drop it." He muttered.

Chanyeol glanced at the boy in his arms, Baekhyun, then Soonyoung. Their eyes locked and he flinched slightly at the hatred filled glare. He held the gaze though as he knelt slowly, laying Jihoon gently on the grass.

"What are you doing?" Baekhyun hissed. "I said drop him, not lay him down. I am two seconds from separating your head from your shoulders if you disobey me anymore." He said in his scaringly calm voice.

Chanyeol rose to his feet, eyes still on Soonyoung. "Before you do...I want you to know that I love you." He looked at Baekhyun through his peripheral. "And I'm sorry."

Baekhyun's eyes darkened. "Sorry for what?"

"This." Chanyeol unsheathed a silver blade from his pocket, shouting as it nestled into Baekhyun's chest. "Go!"

At that moment, to everyone's surprise, Jihoon leapt to his feet and started running but no one pursued, too distracted by what happened next. Jihoon spared a glance behind him. A strangled "No!" escaped him as Chanyeol's head was ripped off by a seething Baekhyun who also crumpled, dead, to the ground seconds later before all hell broke loose.

***2 hours earlier***

"Hoon-ah, Jihoon...wake up."

Jihoon groaned softly as a hand gently shook his arm. He cracked open his right eye, having to blink several times to clear it. Chanyeol's face came slowly into focus and he scowled as best he could in his strange, floaty state.

His lips moved and it took a few attempts for his voice to come out properly, airy and barely there. "What?"

Chanyeol maneuvered him into a sitting position, holding him there as his head spun and stomach churned. After being dragged back to his torture room, they'd forgone chaining him back up. He was too weak to lift his own head so he'd merely been thrown onto the floor and left there, seeing as he had no strength to even attempt an escape.

Jihoon shook him off weakly. "Don't touch me."

Chanyeol sighed but complied, holding his hands up in surrender. Jihoon saw the vial in his right hand and nodded at it.

"What's in your hand?"

Chanyeol glanced over his shoulder at the two men who'd followed him into the room. They were talking to each other, completely disinterested and paying no mind to them. He shuffled closer, dropping his voice.

"It's a sleep potion I was ordered to give you. But I'm not going to."

He revealed another vial of identically clear liquid hidden within his sleeve. "This is a strength potion. It'll return all your strength for about six hours. This is the best and only way I can help you."

***Two days ago***

"Why do you keep coming back?" Jihoon grumbled, refusing to look at the tall man. Betrayer. "I keep telling you I don't want to see your face."

"I've told you, Jihoon. I'm going to help you. There's nothing I can do directly but I've been thinking-"

"Betray Baekhyun."

"Huh?" The words had been said so quietly, he barely heard them.

"I said, betray Baekhyun. The only way to right the wrong you've done me and everyone who has ever trusted you is to betray your lifemate. Shouldn't be hard for you to turn your back on him seeing as you've already done it once to innocent people."

Chanyeol made a wounded sound and Jihoon finally looked at him, seeing the conflict in his eyes. He exhaled heavily, voice hard. "Otherwise, my blood is on your hands."

***Present time***

Time stood still, everyone watching Chanyeol and Baekhyun kill one another in shock, Jihoon's cry ringing through the trees as he slowed. Soonyoung tore his eyes away from the sight, body thrown into action when they landed on Jihoon.

_Get to him._

He took off across the wide field. Close, so close to having the love of his life in his arms again. So close to everything being ok again. So close...

Jihoon was only fingertips away when Soonyoung saw the dart.

Jihoon shouted when it buried itself in his leg and sent him sprawling into Soonyoung's chest.

"NO!" Soonyoung screamed and it kicked both sides into action, the inevitable fight finally breaking out as vampires started running across the field and leaping out of trees.

The couple hit the grass in a tangle of limbs and Soonyoung yanked the dart from Jihoon's calf, throwing it and apologizing hurriedly when Jihoon yelped. All around them were screams and yells and chaos but Soonyoung froze in a horror induced trance, zeored in on the all too familiar poison slowly spreading through Jihoon's leg, his veins glowing a deep red that was visible even through his tattered jeans. Scarlet Death.

Jihoon broke his trance with another bloodcurdling scream, writhing on his lap. 

Soonyoung's eyes burned and he ground his teeth, searching the trees for the culprit. He spotted the woman who shot the dart readying another and launched himself at her, tackling her out of the tree. They tumbled through branches, fighting the entire way down. By the time they reached the bottom, Soonyoung held her by the hair, her headless body lying limp on the forest floor.

Soonji killed Seulgi right off the bat, a sick part of her wishing the girl had been awake so she could see the life leave her eyes. She saw Soonyoung leave Jihoon to attack the dart shooter and raced to Jihoon now, grabbing him under the arms and dragging him away from the fighting. Snarls tore through the air as Moonchasers came thundering through the forest, adding another layer of chaos.

She stood protectively in front of Jihoon, chest aching dully at his pained whimpers. The Scarlet Death was now slowly crawling up his abdomen, its deadly tendrils visible through Jihoon's sickly skin. He let out another scream, arching off the grass and Soonyoung whirled, scanning frantically until he spotted them.

He darted to them, weaving through vampires and werewolves, fighting bodies and headless ones and fallen wolves, dodging a few Grave Lust members who tried to cut him off. He and Soonji switched places, the older half-blood giving her brother a strained smile.

"Hold him." She whispered, jumping back into the fray.

Soonyoung dropped to his knees, adrenaline evaporating as he pulled Jihoon's upper body onto his lap. "My baby..." He crooned, eyes burning with tears. He watched helplessly as the poison caused Jihoon to convulse, only an agonized gurgle being able to leave his tightening throat.

"Soonyoung, watch out!" 

His head shot up at Soonji's yell and he saw a vampire running at him. He hissed, fangs out and eyes dark purple, springing up to meet them halfway, fueled by the urge - the **need **\- to protect Jihoon.

The vampire lunged, arms outstretched, and Soonyoung ducked, kicking at his knee. His leg buckled and Soonyoung, now behind him, kicked the other one to bring him to the ground. Before he could, a wolf that he quickly recognized as Vernon's mother, tore the vampires head off with a ferocious snarl.

Soonyoung nodded his thanks and she took off again. He returned to Jihoon, head swiveling as he tried to find his sister amongst the battle. He gasped, heart sinking as he spotted her just in time to see the two vampires attacking her.

"Soonji, no!" Their eyes met, life leaving hers as her head fell onto the soft grass. Her attackers were dead moments later, Mrs. Kwon screaming as she killed them.

Jihoon's wail of anguish recaptured his attention and he held him tighter. "I'm sorry...I'm so so sorry Jihoon." He whimpered pitifully. "My baby, I'm so sorry."

The Scarlet Death had traveled all the way up to his neck. Jihoon's veins glowed, pulsing erratically with the beat of his heart and the sight would've been beautiful had it been anything but poison coursing through him. While Scarlet Death only made vampires unbearably sick, it was lethal to werewolves and humans. Victims poisoned by it spent the next 4-6 hours of their remaining lives in excruciating pain.

At Jihoon's next scream, the little resolve Soonyoung had left broke and he sobbed, curling over Jihoon as if to shield him from everything going on. 

The strength potion wore off due to the poison, leaving Jihoon even weaker than before. His eye refused to focus, his ears rang with the ruckus of screams and howls and snarls, and his only thoughts were of the overwhelming pain in his body. A cold, wet drop hit his cheek and he flinched, ears straining to hear Soonyoung's choked sobs over all the other noise. Soonyoung.

He willed his eye to focus on his boyfriend, determined despite his anguish to share with him all that he couldn't over the past weeks. He would be damned if he died before telling Soonyoung those three little words.

"Hoshi..." His throat burned but he ignored it. He had to tell him. "I love you."

Soonyoung seemed to freeze for a second, breath stuttering as he stared down at Jihoon before giving a wobbly half smile, half grimace and letting out a sound that fell somewhere between a laugh and choked sob. "You love me?"

Jihoon gritted his teeth as another wave of pain crashed over him, clenching his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms.

"I...I wanted to tell you. That - that nig-" he cut himself off with a scream and Soonyoung clutched his trembling body like a lifeline. The Scarlet Death had reached his arms. It took him a few minutes to catch what little breath he could, the task of speaking becoming harder and harder. "T-that night they took me... I...I'm in love with you."

"I love you. I love you so much..." Soonyoung hiccupped. "My baby...I couldn't protect you. I'm so sorry I didn't get to you in time."

He cupped Jihoon's glowing cheek, running his thumb back and forth over the swollen skin. Jihoon convulsed violently yet again, emitting a weak cry. His chest was so tight he felt suffocated, lungs refusing to take in a proper breath.

Soonyoung's heart ached terribly, squeezed so tightly with despair he feared it might end up bursting. This wasn't fair. The hope he'd been clinging so dearly to dissipated, replaced with dread. This wasn't _fair._

Every emotion he'd felt over the past two weeks began to bubble up, rising in his chest. Pent up anger, fear, guilt, hopelessness, sorrow, regret - everything - rising higher and higher until he released them in a scream. This wasn't** fair. **

He threw his head back and screamed. At the moon, at the stars, at the cloudless night sky. He screamed at the universe - at whatever existing entity there might be, at Baekhyun and Chanyeol lying dead and trampled on in the fighting, at the woman responsible for poisoning his Jihoon, at Seulgi.

He screamed for Soonji who he would never have a proper chance to say goodbye to, for the lost members of Moonchasers, for the lost members of his own clan, for his mother, for his friends, for _Jihoon. _

The fighting vampires and wolves were startled by the tortured sound.

He screamed until his voice gave out and his throat was raw. Until he could only weep, rocking on his knees and cradling Jihoon, unaware of the quiet that began to fall as the battle came to an end. He could only see, only hear, only smell, only feel Jihoon.

The human's chest moved in tiny huffs, eyelashes fluttering as he tried to keep it open and on Soonyoung. Soonyoung who peppered his face with kisses, whispering apologies between each one. Soonyoung who had the biggest heart and loved him with his entire being. He had to muster up the strength to rasp out the words. The words he knew Soonyoung had been secretly longing for months to hear. The words he didn't have time enough to tell him to make up for those months.

"I love you..."

"Woozi...Jihoon...my baby. I love you more than anything."

They whispered those three words, back and forth, over and over. Those three words that seemed meaningless now. Those three words that were void of joy, of hope...filled now with bitter sorrow - hopeless, joyless. But it was all they had. Just those three words. So they repeated them. Back and forth. Over and over.

"I love you..."

"I love you, my baby, I love you..."


	9. 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't explain it but in my universe, for the sake of my laziness and convenience, when wolves change from their wolf to human form, they're not naked. They're in specially made undergarments that don't tear and allow them to shift freely and not be completely naked.

"Soonyoung! Jihoon!" came a unison cry as Seungkwan, Jisoo, Mingyu, Seungcheol, and Seokmin broke through the tree line. Even as the boys reached them, Soonyoung never took his eyes off of Jihoon who'd fallen silent, unable to speak another word.

His heart tore, grinding and pulling apart with every shallow, slow breath his love took. Soonyoung knew, made peace with the fact that the second Jihoon took his last breath, he would follow soon after. He wouldn't - _couldn't _\- live without the younger male. Jihoon had become his world, his everything, his _life_.

His mother had told him and his sister long ago - warned them - that when they found their lifemates, they wouldn't be able to live without them. She knew many vampires who died either immediately or soon after their lifemates did and she had barely survived the loss of their father. Her children were the only reason she lived.

Soonyoung could feel it now even though Jihoon was still <strike>barely</strike> breathing. It felt as if his own life had begun draining from him. He'd only been told of the excruciating pain losing a lifemate would bring, never did he think he'd experience first hand so...soon.

"No!" Seungkwan screamed upon reaching the couple and seeing Jihoon. They all skidded to a stop.

"Wh-what happened?" Jisoo stammered, becoming increasingly horrified as he took in Jihoon's glowing veins, voice rising in pitch. "What happened to him??"

"Scarlet Death..." Soonyoung answered weakly. "They poisoned him...poisoned my baby with Scarlet Death."

"We - we'll take him to the hospital! They'll get it out of him," Seokmin said, not even believing his own words. He looked as if he were about to be sick, pale and trembling.

Soonyoung shook his head. "No...there's nothing they can do. It's fatal for humans. When you're injected, you die within six hours. I'm going to lose my baby...After everything we've been through. I'm going to lose him." He whimpered.

Seungkwan pressed his hands to his mouth, turning to hide in Vernon's embrace. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears slowly slipping down his cheeks. Seokmin and Jisoo held each other, trying desperately to keep their composure and Seungcheol was frozen in place, watching helplessly.

Jeonghan, who'd been the one to retrieve the humans and bring them after seeing Jihoon's state, came up beside Seungcheol silently, wrapping him in a hug. Mingyu also turned away from the sight, breathing shallowly as his composure began to crumble and Wonwoo, still in his wolf form, whined softly at him before noticing Jihoon. He threw his head back toward the sky and howled. Other wolves joined in, sharing the grief of their casualties from the fight. He shifted to his human form, pulling Mingyu against him.

***

_"Jagi~"_

_Soonyoung snorted when Jihoon responded to the name with an exaggerated gag. The teen glanced at Soonyoung over his shoulder from his normal spot, crouched next to the pond. They watched each other with a shared fondness in their eyes, staring shamelessly._

_"Jihoonie, we've been together for exactly two years now. One would think by now, you'd allow me to call you jagi."_

_Jihoon scrunched his nose, poking his tongue out childishly. "It's such an older generation nickname, Young-ah. It makes us sound like a middle-aged couple. We're high school seniors."_

_"So is honey also out of question?" Soonyoung asked with a teasing smile, earning a much expected eye roll._

_"How is it possible for you to get even cheesier?" He muttered but his voice held no malice. He stood, stretching out his legs, then made his way to where Soonyoung sat on their fallen tree._

_He lowered himself onto his boyfriend's lap, laying his head on the half-bloods shoulder. "I told you long ago, jagi, that me and my cheesiness are a package." Soonyoung smiled goofily, pressing a wet kiss to Jihoon's cheek. Said male pushed him away with a disgusted grunt, wiping at his cheek and grumbling._

_"Keep it up and you'll be single."_

_"You don't mean that."_

_Jihoon deadpanned but his lips twitched and Soonyoung squeezed him, pressing more kisses to his cheeks and neck. Jihoon squeaked, attempting and failing to escape from his grasp._

_"Stop it!" He cried, bursting into giggles. With all of his fighting, they ended up tumbling to the ground in a laughing heap, tangled together with Jihoon half on top of Soonyoung's chest. They laid there, Jihoon listening to their synced heartbeats as he caught his breath. Soonyoung ran a hand up and down his back, lifting his head to look at Jihoon._

_"I love you, Jihoon."_

_Jihoon froze, heart skipping several beats. His mouth suddenly felt dry and he was hit with a rush of emotions. He could only stare back in shock and Soonyoung sat them up, cupping his lovers face._

_"You don't have to say it back. I can feel your conflicting emotions," he still wore the sweetest smile though Jihoon felt the pang of hurt that was gone as soon as it'd come, leaning in to peck Jihoon's lips. "I'll wait until you're ready to say it back. I'll wait a lifetime until you're ready."_

***

The only sounds were the soft cries of their friends and Jihoon's ragged, uneven and shallow breaths. Seungcheol's mind raced a mile a minute as he stared at his friend's dying form. Took in the cuts and bruises, his swollen left eye, the cut above his right brow. The barely there movements of his chest. And-

"Turn him."

The command barely cut through the heavy air and it took Soonyoung a moment to register that something was said and what the words were. He lifted his head, puffy eyes finding Seungcheol.

"What?"

"That...that poison. It doesn't kill vampires, does it?" Seungcheol asked, slightly louder.

"No..."

"Then we _can _save him. Turn him." He repeated with more confidence. Soonyoung's brows furrowed, conflicted.

"I-I can't. He made me promise... **You **made me promise..." He said tearfully.

"Hoshi, please..." Seungkwan begged.

"We can't lose our friend...if it's the only way, then do it. Please," Jisoo pleaded, voice breaking and getting softer as he continued. "We can't lose Jihoon. Please..."

"Forget the promise. Just save Jihoon." Seungcheol said firmly.

Soonyoung shifted his gaze between every person, receiving affirmative nods, and sighed. Shifting, he lifted Jihoon higher onto his lap, allowing his fangs to come out. He took a deep breath then sunk his teeth into the crook of Jihoon's neck. He sucked, mouth flooding with the bitter poison that he immediately turned to spit out. He repeated the action once more to draw out as much of Scarlet Death he could.

Jihoon's veins still glowed - only dully now - but nothing else seemed to change. Soonyoung searched his features, looking for any signs but...nothing. Jihoon's right eye gave a weak flutter but nothing else happened. Everyone waited with bated breath, hoping against all hope that something, anything would work.

Jihoon's breathing continued to slow much to their dismay and horror, chest eventually going still as he puffed out one last breath.

There came a unison "No..." before everyone shattered.

***

_"You guys suck!" Mingyu jeered from the other side of the court. Ten of the thirteen boys were outside at a huge vacation home that the pack owned. They allowed the teens to take it over for the entire summer before senior year. Jeonghan, Minghao and Junhui had much preferred to watch from the shaded comfort of the screened in patio as the rest ran around in a five on five basketball game._

_None of them were very good at it, most points earned were from either lucky (or cheap) shots but that didn't stop them from talking trash every time someone missed. Which resulted in a ridiculously competitive game of pushing and shoving and the boys pretending they knew what they were doing._

_An hour later, they went stumbling into the vacation home, throwing cold water bottles to each other and collapsing onto the cool wooden floor, trying to cool down and catch their breaths. Soonyoung rolled over from his back to face Jihoon who was lying on his side, eyes closed with his heated cheek pressed into the floor. He admired his boyfriend for a few seconds and Jihoon, feeling the gaze on him, opened his eyes to gaze back._

_Soonyoung's lips stretched into a lazy grin as they locked eyes. Jihoon returned it, eyes turning into crescents, and Soonyoung felt as if he were falling in love all over again._

_'You're so cute, Jihoonie.'_

_'And you're...such a dork.'_

_Soonyoung pouted, rolling over and trapping Jihoon beneath his body. The younger teen grunted, slapping at his side. "Get off," Jihoon whined. "It's hot and you're literally crushing me."_

_"Take it back." Soonyoung responded sulkily._

_"No." Jihoon said childishly, nipping at the ear that just so happened to be within biting reach. Soonyoung yelped, snatching his head away. He turned, coming face to face with Jihoon, pouting._

_"You're so mean."_

_Instead of arguing back, Jihoon tilted his head up to connect their lips. Soonyoung smiled as they separated._

_"Ok, you're forgiven."_

_From across the room came Mingyu's loud "Gross!" The couple looked to see him gazing judgementally at them. "You guys are so gay." The hypocrite said as he cuddled with his own boyfriend and laughter filled the room._

***

Seungkwan wailed, collapsing, and had it not been for Vernon's hold on him, he would've hit the ground. Jisoo stumbled, hand shooting up to cover his mouth. Everyone was in tears, no longer able to put on a strong front as sobs filled the park. The boys formed a protective ring around Soonyoung and Jihoon as if to hide them from the world around, a heavy cloud of despair covering the group.

Soonyoung's body erupted into anguish. His chest tightened to the point where he couldn't breath, lungs feeling as if they collapsed. His head thundered with such intensity he became dizzy, vision going out of focus. His eyes could no longer produce tear and he was left struggling to fix them on Jihoon's ghost white face, his once glowing veins now black. Dead.

Dead. Jihoon. His Jihoon. His love, his life, his everything. Dead. There were so many sounds, so many screams and sobs and curses and wails Soonyoung wanted to release but he could do nothing. Trapped in such pain that he couldn't move. Couldn't scream, couldn't curse, couldn't wail. He could only sit there, holding his lifeless lifemate as the breaking of his lone beating heart dragged him to his own early grave.

***

_"What do you want to do when we graduate?" Though his voice had been no louder than a whisper, Soonyoung's question seemed to ring through the air. He knew Jihoon was awake. He shouldn't have been considering it was 3am, pitch black and a school night, but he was. He knew because of the way Jihoon's breath slightly hitched as it always did when the future came into question._

_"I'm not entirely sure," Jihoon whispered back eventually, having let the question linger in the air of the cool nighttime spring breeze flowing in through Soonyoung's open bedroom window. "I kinda want to go to school to be a producer but I also don't even want to think about college right now. What about you?"_

_Soonyoung hummed. "I've always had an interest in dancing."_

_"Dancing? I've never seen you dance." Jihoon said incredulously._

_"You've never asked," Soonyoung fired back playfully. "It's been years since I've danced, though."_

_"Why'd you stop?"_

_A few beats of silence._

_"I used to dance with my dad."_

_Jihoon went to sit up, only for Soonyoung to pull him back down, rubbing his back reassuringly._

_"It was hard to do it after the break-in because I missed him so much but now...I think I'm ready to start dancing again. I'm probably not very good at it anymore but I do want to get back into dancing."_

_Jihoon nodded against his chest, lips pursed as he thought. "Y'know...maybe Vernon is right. We could very well become trainees. We could sing and dance together, combine both our passions and work in the same group."_

_"That sounds like a great idea in theory. But what if only one of us makes it?"_

_"I...don't have an answer to that." Jihoon shrugged. He thought for a bit longer. "It doesn't matter what we do with our lives. As long as nothing comes between us."_

_"Oh look who's the cheesy one now," Soonyoung teased with a chuckle. Jihoon huffed._

_"I spend nearly everyday with you. It was bound to rub off on me sooner or later."_

_Soonyoung kissed the crown of his head. "You're right, though. As long as we're together, it doesn't matter what we decide to do."_

_***_

A twitch. So minute, so barely there but somehow picked up on by Jeonghan. He couldn't take his eyes off of the dying couple, no matter how much his chest ached for them and his eyes continuously refilled with tears that he kept hastily wiping away. He nudged Seungcheol, pointing wordlessly at Jihoon. The male looked at his friend, wiping at his own tears.

Another movement, the twitch of a finger followed by Seungcheol's gasp. All eyes were on Jihoon then, watching, waiting, hoping - desperately hoping - for another sign of life. Slowly, so slowly at first that they didn't really believe what they were seeing, the color came back to Jihoon's body.

His bruises faded, cuts disappearing, left eye no longer swollen shut, veins no longer a prominent black. His skin, now unblemished, seemed to glow in the dawning light. No one breathed; no one moved; no one blinked. Another long pause passed and the next gasp came from Jihoon, his eyes flying open.

For a few seconds, his irises shown a brilliant red before melting back into their normal deep brown. Soonyoung could only gape at the sight, time seemingly coming to a halt as Jihoon came back to life. Instantly, his pain vanished and their hearts synced once more, beating in joyous unison.

Cheers spilled from the boys around them, tears of sorrow turning into relief. They all knelt, wrapping each other in a giant group hug, Jihoon and Soonyoung in the midst of it. Despite the cacophony of sound, of overlapping voices spewing their relief and excitement, Jihoon only had eyes for the male whose arms were still holding him tightly.

They smiled at each other for the first time in weeks and, for the first time, everything felt ok again. Things were back to how they should be, with the two lovers helplessly caught up in each other, in their own little world. Jihoon leaned up and their lips brushed as he whispered a playful "hi,". Soonyoung couldn't help his watery laugh, rubbing their noses together in eskimo kisses.

"Hi,"

They simply took each other in for a few beats, contentment filling Jihoon and his heart brimming with emotion. With love. Love that he could confidently and truthfully say he shared with the other.

"I love you, Soonyoung."

Jihoon cupped the half-bloods cheek to pull him into a brief yet much needed kiss. Their friends cooed, Mingyu too happy to play up his usual role of disgust. Soonyoung pecked his lips again and again until they were both smiling too hard to kiss properly.

"I love you too, baby."


	10. 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not proofreading this before I post it because it's late and I'm tired. Unless there are horribly obvious mistakes that can't be easily overlooked then pretend they don't exist.

"I broke my promise," Soonyoung murmured into Jihoon's neck. He hummed in question, eyes still closed. The pack and clan were moving about, assessing the damage done and beginning to clean up. The other boys had joined but no one disturbed the reunited couple or expected them to help. "My promise to keep you safe."

"This is probably not a good time to say this but, I told you so." Jihoon responded after a moment with a slight laugh. He opened his eyes, cupping Soonyoung's cheek to lift his head and smiling gently. Sweetly. Soonyoung's eyes were downcast, his lips set in a tiny pout that Jihoon kissed away. "No, but really. I told you not to make a promise you didn't know you could keep, Young-ah. Not that I didn't believe you, but because I didn't want you beating yourself up if something like this _did_ happen." He intertwined his fingers with the ones splayed on his stomach, tugging Soonyoung's arm to wrap himself tighter in his embrace. "The only thing that matters is that you saved me."

Soonyoung remained quiet and Jihoon could feel his loves thoughts racing around his own head, unable to decipher them. "Young-ah," he whispered and Soonyoung finally met his eye. 

Jihoon felt his breath catch in his throat, another surge of emotion rushing through him, making his heart squeeze. The half-blood stared down at him, his eyes swirling with emotion - the most prevalent one being love. Raw, warm, vulnerable love. Love that filled him so deeply his soul ached. Jihoon wasn't sure if he'd get ever used to this. Every time he felt, saw, or even thought about how much he felt for Soonyoung, it was like a punch to the chest. Made him breathless. And he just knew...he knew that no matter how much time passed, it would never stop being that way. Jihoon couldn't think of a better man to fall in love with than the one he couldn't stop staring at - the one who made him wish he could stop time to stay in certain moments forever; the one who loved to tell cheesy jokes because he knew Jihoon secretly liked them; the one who came into his life and turned his entire world upside down - right in that moment. And somehow love didn't do all that he felt justice. Their hearts raced together, bursting with love, joy, contentment and nothing else - the torture, the suffering, the fear, _nothing -_ mattered anymore. For that moment, that single moment outweighed it all.

"I love you," he finally uttered, voice breaking on the words. "I'm in love with you."

Soonyoung beamed, leaning in to rub their noses together affectionately before kissing him. Once for reassurance. A second time for all the days they spent apart. Then a third for good measure. "You don't know how much it means to me to finally hear you say that," he whispered. "It means the world. You _are _my world, Jihoon."

Jihoon swooned at the sincerity in his words, his expression. " And you're mine. And I'd love to sit here and tell you just how much I love you but," he glanced around. There were bodies strewn about. Some were headless, some mauled, some both. He looked back to Soonyoung. "Maybe this isn't the place for that."

Soonyoung hummed in agreement, scanning the area as well. He paused and Jihoon didn't expect the searing pain that slammed the air out of him. He followed Soonyoung's line of vision and gasped, his own pain joining the half-bloods. Soonji. More specifically, Soonji's head. Lifeless and separate from her body.

"No," he choked out. Turning to straddle Soonyoung's hips, he wrapped his arms tight around his neck in a hug. "Are you ok?"

Soonyoung hugged him back, eyes still on his sister. "I...I didn't even get to say anything to her. She warned me - saved me - and lost her life in the process. I couldn't say goodbye..." He sniffed. "I've cried too much though. I don't have any tears left."

Jihoon, not knowing what to say, simply clung tighter to him. Soonyoung was thankful though, hiding his face once more in Jihoon's neck and breathing him in. He hadn't a chance to do just that in much too long and took comfort in it.

After a while more of silence, Jihoon lifted his eyes and realized that the sun had begun to rise. Nudging Soonyoung gently, he turned in his lap to sit with his back to the others chest and pointed. Soonyoung looked up, first seeing that his mother was coming toward them before noticing the sunrise.

Mrs. Kwon smiled weakly at the boys and sat silently on her son's left, watching the sunrise with them. Soonyoung shifted to wrap an arm around her, drawing her closer. Jihoon felt as if he were intruding on a family moment but that thought quickly vanished when Mrs. Kwon took one of his hands and gave it a small squeeze.

_'Soonji loves - loved - watching the sun rise. Said that no matter how many times she saw it, she could never get tired of it's beauty.'_

Jihoon hummed. He could see why she said that. It was his first time actually witnessing a sunrise. He curled up, watching the sky change color. The darkness receded slowly, black melting into a beautiful dark blue that faded into a gentle purple that bled into the brilliant oranges and pinks of the morning sky. Breathtaking.

He spoke softly as not to disrupt the beauty. "She's apart of it now," he murmured, hearing how Mrs. Kwon's breath caught. He squeezed her hand. "You'll see her rise every morning. As long as the sun rises, Soonji is with us."

Mrs. Kwon muffled a sob into her son's shoulder and Soonyoung hugged her tighter, his own aching heart finding relief in Jihoon's words. Soonji may be dead but she wasn't gone. No, she would be there. In the pinks and purples and blues to greet him every morning. As long as he had the sunrise, he had his sister. Beautiful and full of life.

*******

"Young-ah, it hurts," Jihoon gasped, delirious with pain. Soonyoung hated this but it was necessary. Jihoon told him to and he couldn't deny him anything no matter how much he hated the pain it brought him.

Mrs. Kwon had been the one to warn them. She smelled the difference before she saw the bite.

"You bit him?" She'd asked, frowning. The couple shared a look.

"I had to mom. I would've lost him if I didn't." Soonyoung explained, sheepishness seeping into his face as he turned to her. She shook her head with a small laugh.

"I'm not scolding you, Soonyoung. But you two must know this - for Jihoon to remain or fully become a vampire, he must consume human blood. If he doesn't, the power of the bite will wear off and he'll return to being human but it's not as easy as simply saying you won't drink blood. Humans who are changed, are changed because the pain that comes with the craving is so unbearable to the point that they give in for the relief." She cautioned, slowly looking between them. "So, if you don't want to be a vampire, Jihoon, you boys are going to have a rough two days."

48 hours. That's how long Jihoon had to drink human blood and fully become a vampire. Jihoon didn't want to drink blood. He didn't want to be a vampire. So it was Soonyoung's job to restrain him for the 48-hour period until the effects of the bite wore off and he became human again.

Upon leaving the park, the two spent the rest of that day preparing for and awaiting the next which would be the worst. They went to one of the clan's many safehouses in order to isolate Jihoon. Giving in would be harder if there weren't any humans around. They spent the day lying together, cuddling, kissing, reassuring each other. Whispered promises and plans for the coming days when they could finally relax and _live._ With the threat of Grave Lust finally gone, _everyone _could start living again. Jun and Minghao no longer had to live in hiding; Moonchasers and Undying Hearts no longer had to constantly relocate; Soonyoung and Jihoon - and all of their friends - could live their lives again. But first, they had to get through these two days.

They were the longest, most excruciating days of both of their lives and by the end of it, they were both exhausted in every sense of the word.

Day two had been, for the lack of better words, a nightmare. As expected, they ended up having to chain Jihoon to the wall in the area made for potential captives the clan had for if and when they caught Grave Lust members in the past. Because he was currently a fledgling, Jihoon was much stronger than Soonyoung which meant he could easily overpower him if he wanted. Soonyoung had been hesitant to chain him up at first.

"I don't want to hurt you, Hoon-ah," the half-blood protested. Jihoon, who'd been the one to drag them to the lower levels of the house, glared at him, speaking through gritted teeth.

"I'll be fine. Just do it!" The craving for blood was getting stronger with every second and Jihoon didn't know how much longer he could resist it without being physically restrained. "Soonyoung, please. Do this for me."

So he did it. He handcuffed Jihoon to the wall and made the chain as short as possible so he couldn't move very far if at all. Then he sat down and waited. They attempted to keep up conversation but gave up not even five minutes later as it became apparent that Jihoon struggled to keep a coherent thought in his head.

His body throbbed and ached, the craving so achingly deep that it felt as if he were being starved. He pulled against his restraints and vaguely thought that this situation was all too familiar except this time, the man restraining him was the love of his life and not a ruthless captor.

Jihoon took in ragged breaths, and tried to keep his muddled thoughts on one thing. On Soonyoung. On what they would do when they left here. First, they would visit his mother. Oh, how his heart hurt knowing how distressed she must've been and might still be. He couldn't wait to give her the biggest hug. They both needed it.

Then they would take a day, maybe two, and spend it in their clearing. In their clearing, with their crystal clear water pond and fallen tree. They would spend the day there, just them and a picnic basket and music. They'd spend it singing and eating and sneaking kisses. Healing. Yes, that would be their day of healing and truly going back to normal.

After that, they would spend time with the boys. It was summer after all and Jihoon couldn't wait to spend the rest of it with his closest friends. Everything would be ok again. As if nothing had ever changed. Granted, they needed to find a new hangout spot now that Chanyeol was gone but that was a bridge they'd cross when they reached it.

Soonyoung watched, lips set in a tiny pout, as Jihoon drifted, body rocking slightly the entire time. Every now and then he would start to tug at the chains, hissing and demanding to be released, but the rest of the time his eyes remained shut, lips slightly parted. Sometimes they moved, voice barely audible as he seemed to talk to himself and the longer Soonyoung watched, the more his hatred for the destroyed clan grew. His baby was still suffering and it was all their fault. His hand had been forced, biting Jihoon as a last resort to keep them both alive. It grew and festered within him, only to die every time Jihoon whimpered or groaned, heart echoing his boyfriends pain.

By the time day two finally came to an end, the only thing Jihoon craved was real food. They waited though, as Mrs. Kwon had warned, until the third sunrise to unchain him in order to make sure the cravings were gone for good. Soonyoung restrained himself for as long as possible that third morning, watching the clock unblinkingly. When it struck 9:00, he couldn't wait any longer and shot up, unlocking Jihoon's handcuffs and gathering the now human into his arms as he collapsed forward.

"Hoon-ah? Love, you ok?" He murmured worriedly. Jihoon hummed weakly against his chest, eyes fluttering. "Come on, we need to get some food into you. God knows when you've last had an actual meal." He scooped Jihoon into his arms, frowning at how much lighter he'd become in the last weeks.

Jihoon stirred as he climbed up the stairs, blinking his eyes open. "Jagi," he breathed, not moving from where his head rested on the others shoulder. Soonyoung felt his heart skip a beat and he nearly tripped over his own feet at the unexpected pet name.

"Y-yes?"

"I'm in love with you,"

Soonyoung knew he would never get sick of hearing those words. He'd never grow tired of how they made him feel, all giddy and happy. He also knew he'd never get tired of saying them. "And I you...yeobo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who don't know, yeobo means honey in Korean.


	11. 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon and Soonyoung spend a day in their clearing for some much needed alone time before hanging out with the boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is about to be tooth rottingly cute and a little sad but mostly cute I promise
> 
> Ignore spelling mistakes, I'll edit later

Jihoon pulled Soonyoung along with a face splitting grin, leading him up the path to his childhood home. It'd taken a day and a half for him to regain his strength and he refused to put off seeing his mother any longer. Mrs. Kwon had informed them that after the fight she felt safe enough to return to her own home and that any evidence of the kidnapping had been erased - the kitchen window fixed and broken door locks changed.

Before they even reached the top step, the front door flung open and Jihoon let go of Soonyoung's hand to run into his mother's arms. She released what sounded like a mix between a laugh and sob as they hugged each other so tightly they could barely breathe.

"Mom," Jihoon whispered, tucking his face into her neck. Mrs. Lee cooed, stroking his hair.

"My son, my sweet sweet son," tears fell freely from her eyes as she shut them, the smallest of smiles gracing her lips. "I'm so happy you're alive."

Soonyoung watched the scene with a soft smile, knowing how much they needed this reunion. His heart tugged, bittersweet, when Jihoon sniffled and he knew the younger boy had begun to cry. His mother cried with him and they spoke through their tears with broken syllables.

"I missed you, mom."

"I was so scared for you, Jihoon. I was devastated and so so scared when I came home and saw the front door wide open. Soonyoung was crying and the window was shattered - I didn't know what to do with myself." She pulled back, hands on his shoulders and smiled shakily. "But none of that matters now. You're ok. We got you back and you're ok."

Jihoon nodded, swallowing back tears as he reached to wipe his eyes. He turned to look at Soonyoung, beckoning him. "Soonyoung saved me. Just like he promised you." Said male stepped forward, bowing his head. Mrs. Lee scoffed, waving a hand at him.

"Cut that out and come here," she said through a watery laugh. "Aish, so modest - come here, you need a hug too."

Soonyoung chuckled as he wrapped both of them in his arms. He took a breath, filling his lungs with Jihoon's familiar scent and Mrs. Lee's warm one, which for the first time in weeks was free of distress and sorrow, and as he exhaled he felt at peace. At home. For the first time in weeks. Jihoon leaned his head against his chest and Mrs. Lee kissed both of their cheeks, having to pull Soonyoung down to do so.

"My sons," she murmured, caressing their cheeks, catching Jihoon's stray tears with her thumb. "I'm so happy you're both ok."

"We're getting there," Soonyoung nodded, sharing a look with the younger male. Things weren't completely normal - and probably never would be again - and there was grief in their hearts and aftermath that they couldn't honestly say they were ready to handle - but they would get there. They knew as they stared into each other's eyes that they would get through everything together and eventually things would be ok. Jihoon raised onto his toes for a kiss that brought a smile to all of them.

"We'll get there."

"I missed the clearing," Jihoon sighed, watching the little tadpoles that wriggled about at the edge of the pond. He was sat with his back to Soonyoung's chest, curled in his embrace with his head on the others shoulder.

"_Our _clearing," Soonyoung corrected cheekily, pecking his temple. Jihoon snorted, rolling his eyes but agreeing with him.

"Yes, jagi. _Our _clearing." He giggled as he felt Soonyoung's heart stutter. "For someone who wanted to use that pet name, you sure are surprised every time you hear it." He teased. All through the third day of them being at the safehouse while Jihoon rested and regained some of his strength, he used the name as often as he could when addressing Soonyoung, loving how it caused Soonyoung to trip over himself every time he did. Jihoon also secretly loved how easily the word rolled off of his tongue, how natural it felt to call Soonyoung his other half. He was exactly that, after all.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to you calling me jagi. It makes me so unbelievably happy I actually think my heart might explode." Soonyoung responded, placing a hand over the spot for emphasis.

"Normally, I would tease you for being so cheesy and such a dork but..." Jihoon shrugged, shaking his head and scoffing at himself. "I can't when I feel exactly the same way. I love you so much it actually hurts. And you know I'm telling the truth because I hate being sentimental."

"I do. It's just one of the many reasons I love you."

And again, the words were like a punch to the chest. Jihoon had gone a good six months hearing Soonyoung say that he loves him - a period where he wasn't yet emotionally in the same place as the half-blood - but now, when he was so sure of and _knew _his emotions, hearing those words hit different. He loved the way hearing and saying those three words made him feel all floaty and giddy yet so overwhelmed that he didn't know what to do with himself. He never wanted that feeling to fade.

"Aish," he huffed, unable to stop his smile. "since when did we turn into a drama couple? Our lives feel like a movie. Or a novel."

"That's cause we have the type of love a lot of people only see in dramas and dream of having for themselves."

Jihoon released an exaggerated gag and Soonyoung burst into laughter.

"And he's back."

"You lost so much weight."

Jihoon hummed, hearing the frown in Soonyoung's voice. The sound of crickets chirping in the distance had been lulling him into a blissful half asleep state for the past ten minutes. They'd relocated to a blanket on their fallen tree and Jihoon now sat sideways on Soonyoung's lap.

Even just a month ago, Jihoon would be protesting Soonyoung's touchiness, his need for constant contact but Jihoon needed this too. Four days later and they still needed the reassurance that the other was alive, that every time they blinked, they wouldn't suddenly be back in that hellish nightmare.

Admittedly, Jihoon also didn't care for the weight he'd dropped in captivity. He already had a slim build so going several days with poor to little nourishment left him looking even smaller. Luckily he wasn't in as bad a state as he would've been without the bite. Though its effects had worn off, it had allowed Jihoon a quicker recovery.

"I'll just have to eat more, Young-ah. I'm fine, though."

"Jihoonie, don't lie to me. They starved you, didn't they? For how long?"

The thought of Grave Lust sparked anxiety in Jihoon's chest and he was suddenly wide awake. "Soonyoung," he said softly and Soonyoung immediately understood, sighing.

"I'm sorry, baby. I know you don't want to talk about it."

"It just...no. No, I don't. I don't even want to think about it. I want to think about now, this moment. We'll... we'll talk about it. Eventually. But I just," Jihoon sighed, twisting his bracelet to watch the way it glittered in the starlight. _**Soonyoung's precious shining diamond**_. The words made the corners of his lips twitch into an almost smile. "I can't right now, Young-ah. Those are nightmares I'm not ready to face. I'm just grateful there's no... visible evidence of it."

"This is all something we'll have to unpack and deal with eventually...but you're right. We need to focus on now. Everything else can wait." Soonyoung agreed. Jihoon sat up, straddling his hips. He leaned in, rubbing their noses together lightly.

"Besides, hypocrite, I know you haven't eaten much either," Jihoon teased after a bit of silence.

Soonyoung huffed a bittersweet laugh, cupping the younger's cheek to kiss him. They melted into each other, the slow glide of their lips innocent and sweet as they tasted the lingering flavor of boba. Their bodies moved in sync, arms naturally winding around each other and holding tight. They separated slowly, taking in shallow breaths with their foreheads pressed together. Their hearts thumped loudly and they could feel each other's with how tightly their chests were pressed together and Jihoon sighed, content to stay like that forever.

"Wake up sleeping beauty," a deep voice sneered.

Jihoon jerked his head away as his eyes snapped open and met with red ones that had his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach. "D-don't touch me," he gritted, words lacking the malice and power he'd intended. His heart raced, pounding so hard against his chest he could hardly breathe.

"Aw, is the damsel in distress scared? I knew you weren't as tough as you tried to lead on." Mingsoo chuckled, a rough hand dragging down Jihoon's naked body.

_'...Naked??'_

Jihoon looked to see that, yes, he was completely naked and Mingsoo's hand was much too close to his privates. '_Why am I naked??'_

Panic gripped his body like a vice and he broke into violent trembles. He began to fight, pulling so hard against his restraints that his shoulders ached. He kicked out and twisted, trying in vain to get the vampire away from him.

Mingsoo watched him struggle in amusement. He allowed it to go on for a bit more, feeding off of Jihoon's fear, before he grabbed him by the ankles. He lifted the boy's legs, pressing them to his chest and easily stilling his movement and exposing him in the process.

Jihoon found his voice, a strangled and terror filled "No!" ripping from his throat. "No, don't touch me! Don't - Soonyoung!"

He screamed and screamed, his cries going unheard as they echoed around the dingy concrete walls accompanied by Mingsoo's sinister laughter. "Soonyoung! Help me, save me - _Soonyoung~!"_

Jihoon woke with a start, gasping and fighting blindly against the arms holding him. He couldn't breathe, nearly hyperventilating as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. Finally, a voice cut through to his panicking mind, snapping him out of it.

"Jihoon! Jihoon, it's me! It's Soonyoung! Wake up, wake up, it's me!" His words were strained and tearful and Jihoon stopped fighting, chest still heaving as his eyes finally focused in the dark, finding Soonyoung's glowing purple eyes.

He released a choked sob, clinging tightly to his boyfriend as he continued to tremble, shaking so hard he could barely keep his grip on Soonyoung's shirt. "Young-ah," he whimpered. "I- I was there...I was there again b-but he - he," Jihoon couldn't speak, springing out of Soonyoung's lap to retch as he was overcome with a massive wave of nausea.

The half-blood rubbed his back, bringing a water bottle to his lips when he stopped heaving, stomach empty and cramping from the force of it. Jihoon drank slowly, pushing the bottle away after downing half and allowing himself to be guided back to the tree and onto Soonyoung's lap once more. Under Soonyoung's guidance, they took slow breaths in and out again and again until Jihoon's breathing became normal and his tremors stopped.

Soonyoung hummed softly, rocking them as he petted Jihoon's hair to soothe him. Jihoon stared unblinkingly at the darkness where he knew the treeline was, able to faintly see the outline of some of the trees and bushes there, not wanting to close his eyes. Not wanting to sleep and return to that nightmare. He listened to the steady beating of his lovers heart, tried to focus on syncing their breathing as a distraction.

"Love," Soonyoung whispered after a while, cautious and barely audible. "Are you ok enough to tell me what happened in your dream?"

Jihoon sniffed, the first sound he made since calming down. "I," his voice cracked and he cleared his throat, trying again. "I guess."

"Don't feel pressured, jagi. You don't have to tell me. I understand how hard it is to."

It was moments like those that made Jihoon fall in love all over again. Moments where Soonyoung showed just how sweet, caring and understanding he was. Moments like those made Jihoon that much more grateful that the half-blood was in his life, that he'd been lucky enough to be the one Soonyoung fell in love with.

"No, I...I want to tell you." Jihoon decided. He took a deep breath to steel himself, tensing a bit, and Soonyoung began to hum again, continuing to rock them gently. He focused on that as he spoke. _It was only a nightmare. None of it was real. Right here, right now is real. _"I woke up in the torture room again," he murmured. "But I was...naked."

Soonyoung held him tighter as a tremor returned to his voice. "Take you time, baby."

Jihoon nodded against his chest, taking a few deep breaths before going on. "I was naked and the man was touching me. His hand was on my thigh and I started screaming and fighting." He paused again, fear rushing into his heart despite knowing that none of it had been real. His voice grew quieter, weak. "I felt so helpless. My arms were chained to the wall so...so I couldn't do more than pull them and- and kick. But he was so much stronger... He grabbed my legs and-"

Soonyoung's heart ached as Jihoon buried his face into his chest. There were so many questions running through his mind, so many emotions running through his heart, but comforting and being there for Jihoon trumped every question and every emotion. Making sure Jihoon was ok would always be his first priority. It took another five minutes for Jihoon to calm down again.

"Can I ask you a question, Jihoon?" He asked.

"Mm?"

"Did...did someone actually...?"

It took a moment for him to understand what Soonyoung was trying to ask and once it clicked, he shook his head quickly. "No. No one ever...no. But it would've been so easy if they wanted to." Disgust and fear colored his tone at the mere thought of someone taking advantage of him. Soonyoung nodded, relieved.

They sat there silently for hours, Jihoon struggling against sleep, his eyelids heavy, and Soonyoung holding him, occasionally peppering kisses on the crown of his head. The sun started to rise and they watched in silence, Jihoon's words from the park still fresh in their minds as the sky changed colors. 

_As long as the sun rises, Soonji is with us._

The second the door opened, Jihoon and Soonyoung were met with noise. Eleven boys came spilling into their house, some bearing gifts, others food, and all wearing smiles. After spending the day in their clearing, Soonyoung and Jihoon finally moved into the house Mrs. Kwon and the clan had bought them for graduation. They spent a few hours moving their own stuff into the place and buying other essentials and invited their friends over for an "unpacking party", which was really an excuse to not only see them but to also speed up the unpacking process.

Jihoon greeted each person with a hug, Seungkwan lingering to whisper into his ear. "I'm so happy to see you again, hyung."

He hugged the younger male tighter. "I'm happy to see you too, Seungkwan. I've missed all of you."

The thirteen men gathered in the kitchen where Mingyu was already fawning over the appliances, his inner chef coming out as he fanboyed over their stove and counter space, Wonwoo watching on with an endeared smile. Soonyoung stood off to the side with Jeonghan, Minghao and Junhui for a slightly more private conversation as he was updated on information from Undying Hearts and Moonchasers while Jihoon was caught up in a massive group hug from Seungcheol, Jisoo, Seungkwan, Seokmin, Vernon, and Chan. Jihoon could only laugh as all of their voices overlapped in excited chatter, unable to understand what any of them were saying but enjoying the moment nonetheless. He'd missed this.

Eventually, once Soonyoung had been updated and Jihoon escaped the group hug, the noise died down as everyone turned their full attention to the couple. Soonyoung slipped his arm around Jihoon's waist as he addressed their friends, beaming.

"Welcome to our house, guys! As you can see, we've done absolutely no unpacking and would love some help. Thank you for willingly giving up the rest of your day to help us. And what better way is there to get unpacked and settled in than with your friends?"

"Kiss up," Mingyu snipped playfully. Soonyoung side eyed him and clapped his hands once, head tilting.

"Correction - friends and Mingyu."

"Yah!"

The walls echoed with laughter and Jihoon shared a smile with Soonyoung. They really would be ok.

Several hours, a lot of music, a lot of dancing, and many many boxes later, the group collapsed and sprawled around the living room, exhausted but happy. Everything had been unboxed and put/set up in their respective places, pictures and decorations adorning the once bare walls and fairy lights strung throughout the house. The ones in the kitchen and living room were on now, bathing everything in a warm glow as the boys conversed and ate.

"How are you guys doing? After all...this?" Jeonghan asked after they had all eaten and rearranged into a giant cuddle pile in the middle of the room. There were a few beats of silence, Seokmin being the first to answer.

"I kinda miss him to be honest," he said, playing with Jisoo's fingers which were resting on his belly. "Chanyeol sunbae." He received scattered and mixed responses.

"It is weird not going to his cafe anymore." Mingyu admitted, bitterness in his words. Jihoon spoke up from where he had his head tucked beneath Soonyoung's chin, blinking continuously in an attempt to not fall asleep, voice slightly slurred by his tiredness.

"He helped me..."

"What was that?" Seungcheol asked across the pile where he was buried beneath Jeonghan's head and Chan's legs.

Jihoon lifted his head, voice raising. "He helped me. Betrayed Baekhyun by giving me strength potion and killing him."

A stunned silence fell over the room.

"Well how am I supposed to hate him now?" Vernon complained, earning soft laughs.

"I...I've had nightmares." Seungkwan said hesitantly.

"Me too." Seokmin, Jihoon, and Seungcheol said in unison.

"It all kinda feels...surreal?" Seokmin continued. "Like it happened but also didn't? I dunno how to explain it."

"Kinda felt like some weird acid trip." Jisoo supplied, making half the group snort.

"Yeah, that works I guess."

"Enough with the sad stuff bringing the mood down," Jeonghan declared. "Minghao, Junnie, how are you enjoying your freedom?"

The duo, who'd been the quietest up until now, shared a smiling glance. "We're happy," Minghao answered softly. "It's...strange, though. After so many years of hiding and not being able to go outside, it's so strange."

"But it's so much fun to explore now." Jun added, sounding like an excited child. Understandably so. "There's so much we can experience and do without having to look over our shoulders and it's so _freeing_."

"You guys got your lives back." Soonyoung said happily, his statement followed by murmured agreements.

"We all got our lives back," Minghao affirmed and a weight lifted off of the room as they all smiled. "We can all start living again."

The humans and wolves drifted to sleep one by one, so entangled that one body couldn't be told from another. And as they slept, the vampires communicated silently, Minghao's ability allowing them to hear each other's thoughts without having to verbalize them. That night, to their relief and joy, no one woke up screaming from a nightmare. There were a few incidents of restless stirring from Jihoon and Seungkwan that were, luckily, easily soothed by Soonyoung and a half asleep Vernon - stirred by his mates soft whines. Other than that everyone slept peacefully for the first time in a few weeks and woke to smiling, giggling faces. And, as Soonyoung cradled Jihoon and watched Vernon try to carefully extract himself from the pile to go to the bathroom without waking anyone, he knew they would be ok.

"You totally cheated!"

"How does one cheat at air hockey?!"

Jihoon, looking over his shoulder to where Seungkwan and Mingyu were arguing like children _in_ _front of children_ about a game, shook his head with a laugh. He turned back to Soonyoung, still shaking his head. "They're toddlers I swear. There's no way they're eighteen." He commented, swirling his straw around his milkshake. Soonyoung took a sip of his own drink, humming in agreement.

"But I guess that's what happens when you take a group of almost adult teenagers and put them into an arcade. They get ten years younger." He smiled.

"They're gonna get us kicked out if they keep it up," Jihoon added. "They're so loud I can hear them over the music that's literally blaring in my ears. Idiots."

"Yeah, but they're _our _idiots."

"Never said they weren't."

"Soonyoung hyung! Jihoon hyung! Come play with me!" Came Chan's yell as he ran up to their table, eyes shining with excitement. "It's a three person shooter! Come one, come on!"

Unable to deny the eager pup, they stood and allowed themselves to be dragged across the arcade to a three player first person zombie shooter game. The arcade was lit by strobe lights, one of which blinded Jihoon momentarily as he looked around, causing him to stumble a bit. He heard Soonyoung snickering as he rubbed at his eyes and held his middle finger up in the others general direction.

Soonyoung gasped dramatically, grabbing his hand and pushing the finger down. "There are children present."

Jihoon glared up at him, sticking his tongue out. "And you're one of them," he muttered. Soonyoung scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Says the hypocrite."

"Stop flirting and play with me!" Chan scolded, arranging them so that he stood between the couple. "You're both children."

In contradiction to their comments about Seungkwan and Mingyu's behavior earlier, Soonyoung and Jihoon found themselves screaming and yelling incoherently at the screen alongside Chan as they played, laughing raucously at their terrible aims and Soonyoung's outraged shouts every time he died stupidly. By the time the game finished, they were in tears from laughing, not even caring about their low score and 21.9% accuracy.

Deciding they'd had enough, they wandered off and found Minghao, Jeonghan and Wonwoo in an intense game of skeeball while Vernon, Seungcheol, Junhui and Seungkwan were very clearly cheating in the basketball game a few feet away. Jun had climbed the machine and was just putting a ball in and out of the hoop over and over as the rest lay in stitches on the floor, gasping for air with cheek splitting smiles. The three boys shared a glance, unanimously agreeing to just turn and walk away, searching for the last two of their large group.

Mingyu and Seokmin were being the least chaotic of the thirteen, exploring the prize room. The taller was stocking up on pieces of candy while Seokmin browsed the plushies, a serious look on his face as he did so. Chan jogged over to Mingyu, snatched a piece of candy and bolted back into the arcade area, cackling childishly. Mingyu pouted angrily at his back, holding the candies tighter to his chest.

Jihoon joined Seokmin in his browsing while Soonyoung took their combined tickets to the ticket counter. He bumped the brunet with his hip to get his attention. Concentration effectively broken, Seokmin turned, brows raised in question. He smiled upon realizing it was only Jihoon and slung his arm around the smaller male's shoulders, leaning against him.

"I don't know which one to get Jisoo," he explained, eyes returning to the plushies. Jihoon scanned them too; the ones available for points ranging from 150-275 were ugly, tiny and clearly cheap, the quality and size increasing along with ticket range. The best ones were the 1500-3000 range - huge, fluffy things that looked perfect to cuddle but someone would have to spend hours upon hours and get amazing scores in order to afford those ones. Jihoon certainly didn't have the patience to try and get 3000 tickets.

"How many tickets do you have?" He inquired. Seokmin glanced at the slip in his hand before showing it to Jihoon as he answered.

"891."

Jihoon pursed his lips. The plushies in the 800-975 range were of a decent size and quality. Not as crappy as the lower numbers but not as good as the 1000s. He scanned the section for a moment before his eyes landed on a black sloth plushie. It wore a headband that had grey bunny ears on top. 885. Nudging Seokmin in the side with his elbow, Jihoon pointed.

"What about that one? The sloth?"

He looked to Seokmin whose eyes lit up. "Perfect!" He ambled over, plucking it off of the shelf and hugging it to his chest before making his way to the ticket counter. Jihoon watched with a smile. His friends were adorable.

_'What's got you over here looking like a proud dad?'_

A chest pressed against his back and he leaned into Soonyoung with a little sigh.

_'I helped Seokmin-ah pick out a plushie for Jisoo. He's so in love, it's precious.'_

The arms around his waist tightened and a kiss was pressed just beneath his left ear, causing him to giggle. He gently knocked their heads together, tilting his back onto Soonyoung's shoulder and pouting his lips for a kiss. His wish was immediately and gladly granted as he received a quick succession of pecks that brought a smile to his face.

"I turned in all of our tickets," Soonyoung informed against his lips.

"We didn't play very much, though." Jihoon murmured between kisses. "I doubt there were anymore than 100."

"You're not wrong," Soonyoung chuckled, moving back to make eye contact. "But, it means we can get several pieces of candy and I spotted some fun sized twix that are beckoning me to eat them." He simpered as Jihoon cracked up, eye smile making another appearance.

"Ok, then. Let's go get your twix." He said, removing himself from his boyfriend's hold and leading him to the candy counter. As they picked out their candies, the somewhat quiet prize room became noisy as their friends trickled in and swarmed the ticket counter.

Jihoon watched Seokmin pull Jisoo off to the side to gift him with his plushie and almost cooed at the interaction. Jisoo's entire face lit up and he hugged Seokmin, pressing a kiss into his slowly reddening cheek. Jihoon turned to his own boyfriend, who was debating if he wanted his last candy to be another twix or a mini snickers.

"Woozi~ which one should I get?" He finally asked, turning to him with exaggerated puppy eyes.

Jihoon thought for every bit of .5 seconds before grabbing the snickers. "You already have four twix, jagi. Have some variety."

Soonyoung pouted slightly but straightened up, shoving the candies into his shorts pocket. "What if I don't want variety?"

"Then you shouldn't have asked me to choose, dork." Jihoon countered. "Now, come on. I want actual food and I'm pretty sure the staff here are sick of us." 

That night, after returning home at nearly eleven and showering, Soonyoung and Jihoon prepared for bed. Upon leaving the arcade, they'd gone to a Korean buffet for a late lunch/early dinner then to the movies. Happy yet thoroughly exhausted, they now lay together, unwinding from the events of that day. They spoke in whispers as they watched stars dance across their ceiling from the spinning nightlight set up at the foot of their bed. It was one of the many purchases they made for their home the previous day after Jihoon had confessed his uneasiness of being in the dark.

He was still hesitant to sleep, scared of the flashbacks and nightmares that awaited him, and fought against the growing heaviness of his lids. Soonyoung coaxed him into closing his eyes, murmuring promises and reassurances into Jihoon's ear.

"I'm not going anywhere, my love. Everytime you wake, I'll still be right here holding you."

And Jihoon did wake many times that night, each time the result of a different nightmare. And just as he'd promised, Soonyoung was still there to calm him down and lull him back to sleep. After waking up for the fifth time, Jihoon spoke in a broken whisper against Soonyoung's chest as he rocked and hummed, arms wrapped securely around the younger.

"Jagi?"

His heart ached at the weakness of his loves voice. "Yes, baby?"

"Do you think my nightmares will ever stop?"

"I..." Soonyoung's first instinct was to reassure, say yes - anything to make Jihoon feel better. But Jihoon wasn't dumb. He wasn't a child who could be easily convinced and Soonyoung didn't want to give him false hope. He sighed, held Jihoon tighter and kissed his hair.

"One day, baby. One day."


End file.
